Sambal Fried Eggs | Sambal Telur Goreng

Daniel
Aug 2, 2021
2 min read

Updated: May 22

This recipe is featured in my ECookbook:

During my childhood, we would have fried boiled eggs (or thrice cooked eggs) and sambal sauce over some rice for dinner. That's it. We couldn't afford some fancy food like meat nor seafood; sometimes we would have breadcrumbs instead of rice if times were really bad. Sad but fond memories indeed.

I thought of re-creating that dish, but I have a fried boiled egg recipe already (with sambal hijau). So I decided to try something different. Something Thai. Khai Jiao aka Thai Fried Eggs is a very popular Thai dish; you can find this dish on the streets or in some fancy restaurants. Khai Jiao will be perfect with the sambal sauce.

Do not expect some smooth, no browning, elegant French omelette. This is a crispy, fluffy and greasy omelette. All you need is just 2 ingredients: eggs and fish sauce (which Thais will always have in their pantry). Tips for a successful Khai Jiao are all written in the directions down below. Let's get started with the recipe.

Ingredients:

(Serve 2)

Sambal Sauce:
High Quality Olive Oil, 1 TBSP
Yellow Onion Thinly Sliced, 1
Sea Salt, Pinch
Gula Melaka / Palm Sugar, Pinch
Garlic Finely Minced, 3 Cloves
Ginger Finely Minced, 1"
Dried Curry Leaves, Pinch or Fresh Curry Leaves, A Handful
Sambal Homemade, 2 TBSP
Tomato Puree, 1 TBSP
Oyster Sauce, 1 TBSP
Fried Eggs:
Grapeseed / Peanut / Sunflower Oil, For Frying
Eggs, 2
Worchestershire Sauce or Fish Sauce, 2 TSP
Garnishes:
Pickled Cucumbers & Onions Homemade, A Couple Each
Scallions Finely Chopped, A Handful

Equipment:

Cast Iron Skillet

Directions:

Please visit my "How To Make Sambal" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "How To Pickle Almost Anything" page for the recipe.
Make the Sambal Sauce
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Add onion, season with salt and gula melaka, and sauté until lightly caramelized.
Add garlic, ginger, and curry leaves. Cook until aromatic.
Stir in sambal and sauté until well combined.
Deglaze with ¼ cup water.
Add tomato puree and oyster sauce. Mix until smooth.
Simmer gently. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or gula melaka if needed.
Give it a final stir and remove from heat. Set aside.
Fry the Eggs
Use a small skillet for single-egg frying (or any skillet if making more than one).
Heat 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat.
Beat eggs with Worcestershire sauce using a fork until smooth.
To check if oil is ready: insert a wooden chopstick—if bubbles form, it’s ready.
Carefully pour in the beaten eggs; they should puff up and bubble immediately.
Once the bottom is golden, flip and fry for 30 seconds.
Remove and place directly onto the sambal sauce.
To Serve
Garnish with pickled cucumber and onions.
Sprinkle with chopped scallions.
Serve hot with butter-toasted bread on the side.