Khai Jiao Is the Best Way to Use Leftover Mung Bean Sprouts
For reasons unknown to the universe, a packet of mung bean sprouts is always too much for any dish you prepare. Even if you’ve doubled the recipe, somehow there’s always a handful or two left the next day, and if that’s ever happened to you, you know full well that the next day is probably your last chance to use them before they discolor. and slimy. One of my favorite ways to use the last cup of bean sprouts is to make khai jiao. A staple meal from my childhood, my mom sometimes called it “Thai omelette” but that’s a stretch – the only thing they have in common is beaten eggs.
Khai Jiao, in its simplest form, is beaten whole eggs fried in plenty of hot oil and eaten with a steaming mound of jasmine rice. It’s delicious, full of flavor, and completely satisfying. As with most Thai dishes, seasonings provide the necessary salty, tangy, and spicy flavors. They may include a lime wedge, soy sauce ( Golden Mountain Sauce if you can find it, and Maggi if you can’t), and a few small spoonfuls of spicy-salty prik nam pla . As an adult, I would destroy a plate of khai jiao, but supplement it with various combinations of ingredients, turning it into an extremely satisfying dish. Sometimes there were onions and tomatoes, sometimes zucchini, and sometimes pieces of chicken or turkey surfaced at night; but one thing was the same – there were a lot of bean sprouts everywhere. Roasted, but not soaked, bean sprouts give this dish a crispy, juicy flavor and help catch little puddles of soy sauce to spice up the rice in every spoonful. It was probably my mom’s tricky way of clearing leftover vegetables from the fridge, and the ingredients are cheap for such a hearty meal. Regardless, it was a dinner that I would gladly ask for whenever my opinion was not considered.
One important note: Feel free to use frying oil or you won’t get the desired fluffy texture when the egg is fried. I often have oil left over in the pan – use the same oil if you’re making multiple batches, or save it for another use after straining any vegetable pieces. Be sure to steam the rice and wait, because this dish cooks very quickly. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll be eating a classic Thai dish and maybe adding bean sprouts to your shopping list again.
Khai Jiao (ไข่เจียว) with vegetables
Ingredients:
- 1 full cup of mung bean sprouts
- ½ small zucchini (about ¾ cup, chopped and cut in half)
- 1 Roma tomato (about ½ cup, sliced)
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- ¼-½ cup canola oil or other neutral oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Additional garnishes: lime wedges, Golden Mountain sauce or soy sauce, prik nam pla
- Oil for frying, such as canola or vegetable oil
Add oil to a medium skillet. There should be about ¼ inch of oil in the bottom of the pan. There should be a little puddle in the egg mixture so that it can be fried. She will only use what she needs, so it’s better to have a little more than not enough. Heat oil over medium heat.
Place the beaten eggs in a medium bowl. Add bean sprouts, chopped zucchini, tomato wedges and salt. Stir to coat the vegetables with the egg.
To test if the oil is hot enough, remove the bean sprout from the egg mixture and add a drop of the egg to the oil. It should bubble and brown right away, with force. Pour the entire egg and vegetable mixture into the hot oil. The rapeseed should bunch up a little on the sides. Roast for about five minutes or when the bottom starts to turn golden brown. Turn the egg over. No need to worry about perfection, the egg will fry with uneven ripples, rocks and buns. Fry the second side for about 1 minute. Remove from the pot and serve with your choice of seasoned rice.