Originally posted on October 3, 2012
GROWING up in a Filipino Chinese family, Fried Oyster Cake was a familiar item on our menu. We didn’t eat it all the time, and it wasn’t served as often as Sweet and Sour Fish and Egg Drop Soup, but it was nonetheless something familiar. My late dad loved it. So my mom, whenever she made trips to Manila Chinatown to buy some authentic Chinese ingredients and other stuff, would order Fried Oyster Cake from a local restaurant in Chinatown, bring it home and serve it for dinner. You put ketchup on the round oyster omelette and eat it with rice.
I also had several gastronomic encounters with Fried Oyster Cake during previous visits to Singapore. The Lion City had stalls dedicated to Fried Oyster Cake in its hawker centers, including the famous Makansutra, allowing them to prepare their specialty a la minute and serve them hot and fresh.
So, when Fried Oyster Cake was served during the recent press lunch/preview of the Taiwan on the Rise: Asia’s Rising Cuisine, a Taiwanese food festival to be staged at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria’s Xin Tian Di Restaurant for the whole month of October , happy childhood memories came rushing back. Fried Oyster Cake would definitely be a staple for the month-long food promotion, which extends all the way until October 31, but Chinese Executive Chef Sam Lee and his team would be serving a lot of other delicious Taiwanese fares, such as Kutchay Dumpling, Squid with Barbecue Sauce, Baked Salty Pork Belly, Pork Neck with Shrimp Paste Soup, Ampalaya with Salted Egg, Shenkeng Deep Fried Tofu and T-Bone with Barbecue Sauce. Diners will also get a chance to win round-trip tickets for 2 to Taipei, including 4 days/3 nights’ stay with breakfast courtesy of Cebu Pacific and Holiday Inn East Taipei.
A humble cuisine that’s finally making its mark around the world, Taiwanese cuisine takes center stage at Crowne Plaza’s Xin Tian Di this month. To give you a good idea of what Taiwanese cuisine is all about, particularly its Fried Oyster Cake, here’s a recipe that you can try at home, courtesy of Crowne Plaza’s Chef Sam Lee.
THE SAUCE:
3 tbsps. hoisin sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt and pepper
1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Cook until mixture thickens to a sauce consistency.
THE OYSTER CAKE:
8 pcs. fresh oysters
50 grams potato starch
25 grams camote flour
1 tsp. sesame oil
150 grams water
oil for pan-frying
3 eggs, beaten
1. Remove oyster meat from shell, boil and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix together potato starch, camote flour, sesame oil and water.
3. In a pan, heat oil for pan-frying, then pour in starch-and-water mixture. Add oysters, distributing them around the omelette, and cook until half-cooked.
4. Pour in beaten eggs over the oysters when the bottom of the omelette sets. Cook for a while, then turn omelette over and cook the other side until lightly browned.
5. Transfer omelette to plate lined with lettuce leaves, pour sauce over it, and serve.
Serves 3.
