Khai Tun (Thai Steamed Egg)

ไข่ตุ๋น — the Thai version, and the one children in Thailand grow up on. Softer than the Chinese, less austere than the Japanese, and seasoned with fish sauce rather than soy, which changes the whole character of it.

⭐ Fish sauce instead of salt is the single substitution that makes it Thai. It is doing exactly what saeujeot does in the Korean version — bringing fermented savour to a dish with no other flavour in it.

Minced pork is usual, stirred through rather than layered underneath, and the whole thing is often steamed in a small heatproof bowl and eaten with rice as a soft, comforting one-bowl lunch.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs (about 150 g — weigh them)
• 225 g warm water or light chicken stock
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

Pinch of white pepper

• 100 g minced pork
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1 tbsp coriander stems, finely chopped
• To finish
• Coriander leaves
• Fried garlic in its oil
• A little more white pepper

Directions

1. Mix the minced pork with half the fish sauce, the coriander stems and the white pepper. Break it up well so there are no clumps.
2. Weigh the eggs and add 1.5× their weight in warm water. Beat gently with chopsticks — combining, not aerating.
3. Add the remaining fish sauce, then strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl.
4. Stir the seasoned pork and the scallion through, breaking the pork up so it is dispersed rather than sitting in lumps. ⚠ It will sink somewhat; that is normal and it is why this version is stirred rather than layered.
5. Skim the foam. Cover with foil or a plate.
6. Steam over a bare simmer, 15 minutes, until the centre wobbles as a unit and the pork is cooked through.
7. Top with coriander, a spoonful of fried garlic and its oil, and more white pepper. Serve with rice.

Notes

⭐ Fried garlic in its oil is the finish that makes this taste like Thailand rather than a generic steamed egg. Slice garlic thin, fry gently in neutral oil until pale gold, pull it off the heat before it colours further — it keeps going. A jar keeps a week and improves a great many things.

⚠ Fish sauce brands vary enormously in salt. Taste the mixture before it goes in the steamer. A tablespoon of a mild brand is right; a tablespoon of a fierce one is too much.

Without pork it is a very good, very simple vegetarian side — just leave it out and cut the steaming time to 12 minutes.

Carrot and a few peas stirred in is the version most often made for children.

In the dive: Elsewhere — the dish keeps going.