Vietnamese Egg Omelette

Anyone can make this Vietnamese egg omelette. It’s simple, affordable, and quick to make.

This makes it perfect when you are short on time or stuck on what to make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

What is Trung Chien?

Vietnamese egg omelettes, also known as trung chien, are a simple omelette which is very versatile. Translated from Vietnamese, “trung” means eggs, and “chien” means fried. Together, the two words mean fried eggs.

The combination of fish sauce, green onions, shallot (red onions) with beaten eggs gives the perfect flavor to this Vietnamese omelette.

What’s more, the addition of noodles to this dish gives the omelette a unique texture.

What type of noodles to use?

This omelette uses rice vermicelli noodles. These types of noodles are made from rice flour and water.

If you are unable to get rice vermicelli noodles, you can use glass noodles (also known as cellophane noodles). Glass noodles are a thin clear noodle which are commonly made from mung bean flour and water.

• It takes about 15 minutes to prepare and make this egg omelette. Perfect if you are looking for a quick meal.
• Can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
• You can use any leftover meat or vegetables you have in the fridge if you want to add more ingredients!

• Rice vermicelli or glass noodles (cellophane noodles): They are long, thin, and transparent noodles when cooked. These noodles give a slightly chewy texture when cooked.
• Eggs: I used large eggs.
• Fish sauce: Gives a salty and umami flavor to the omelette.
• Salt
• Green onions: Finely chopped
• Vegetable oil: This will be used to cook the omelette. You can use any cooking oil that has a neutral flavor such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil.
• Shallot (or small red onion): Diced
• Minced garlic

Instructions

This recipe serves 2. The ingredients can easily be multiplied to suit how many serves you need to make.

Step 1 - Place glass noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow the noodles to soak for 1 to 2 minutes or until soft. Drain the noodles and cut into small pieces. Set aside.

Step 2 - In a medium size bowl, beat and combine the eggs, the fish sauce, and salt.

Step 3 - Add the green onions and cut noodles to the eggs and fish sauce. Mix until combined.

Step 4 - Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium high. Add the diced shallot and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 5 - Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 6 - Add the egg mixture to the pan and gently mix through the onions and garlic. Shake the pan carefully so that the egg goes to the edges of the pan.

Step 7 - Reduce the heat to medium low and cover for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove cover, flip omelette and cook uncovered for a further 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve.

Tips for Success

• Beat your egg mixture well. There should be no transparent or white flecks in the mixture. Once properly beaten, the eggs should be a pale yellow color and have a frothy texture.
• Use a non-stick frying pan to make it easier to flip your omelette.
• If you find your eggs are not spreading out in the pan when you add them, gently rotate your frying pan to move the egg mixture around the pan. This will allow the eggs to fill the empty spaces in the pan.
• I used a 15 cm (5.91 inches) frying pan.
• It can be tricky to flip the Vietnamese egg omelette. Use a spatula or two flat turners to flip your omelette. If you are still having trouble, carefully cut the omelette into quarters in the pan. Then use a spatula or flat turner and flip each piece individually.

Substitutions / Variations

• If you are looking for a vegetarian alternative, you can substitute the fish sauce for soy sauce.
• You could add any leftover cooked ground beef or chicken to this omelette. Or you could even use minced tofu or dried mushrooms.

Storage

This Vietnamese omelette can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. To reheat, you can place it in the microwave or heat it in a frying pan over low heat.

You can also freeze this omelette for 1 to 2 months.

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