When Gibney Company dancer Jie-Hung Connie Shiau was growing up in Tainan, Taiwan, her mom would often make her a traditional Taiwanese breakfast of scallion pancakes and eggs. She’d whip up a simple dough, and fold cooked eggs inside like a sandwich. “It’s her version of what you can get at a Taiwanese breakfast stand,” says Shiau. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shiau, who’s based in New York City, was missing home. Due to travel restrictions, she hadn’t visited Taiwan for more than two years. One day while grocery shopping, her eyes fell on a package of tortillas. She realized she could use them as a replacement for the scallion pancakes of her youth. “It was a moment of ‘Wow!,’ ” she says. Since then, Shiau’s foldable omelet has been a near-daily breakfast staple.
Jie-Hung Connie Shiau
preparing her breakfast omelet. Courtesy Shiau.
At first, Shiau played with how to season her eggs. But after buying a carton of mushroom seasoning at H Mart, the popular Asian grocery store, she hasn’t looked back. “I bought it out of curiosity,” she says. “But once I started using it, I have not stopped.” She also adds the powder to soups and to hot-pot broth. “It just gives an umami taste,” she notes. Trips to H Mart give Shiau a chance to buy other favorite Asian ingredients: daikon radish, napa cabbage, and a tofu-based jerky that she likes to snack on. Back in her kitchen, Shiau and her partner, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company member Jesse Obremski, take turns cooking—depending on who’s more tired. “We have each other’s backs,” says Shiau. “It’s always fun when there’s teamwork.”
Podcast Playlist
Shiau likes to catch up on podcasts while she’s cooking. Currently on rotation? The Daily, Modern Love, and Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel. She’s also just added IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson. “It’s Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig, giving advice,” says Shiau. “It’s so fun.”
Ingredients
1/2 avocado
2 or 3 garlic chives
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 pinch of mushroom seasoning (Shiau’s favorite is from the brand Vegetarian Chef.)
1 medium or large tortilla
salt and pepper, to taste
chili-crisp oil (While any chili oil will do, Shiau prefers Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil with Fermented Soybeans to top off her omelet.)
Courtesy Shiau.
Instructions
Cut the avocado into thin slices.
Chop the garlic chives into small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, beat the eggs with the garlic chives in a bowl.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, and pour in the beaten egg mixture. Sprinkle the eggs with mushroom seasoning, then immediately cover with the tortilla. (Shiau says that it’s important to cover the eggs while they’re still runny, so that they coat the tortilla.)
Once the eggs are fully cooked (about two minutes, or when you can slide the eggs and tortilla around easily in the pan), use a spatula to flip the omelet tortilla-side down. Cook for another minute or so, or until the tortilla is slightly crispy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat, and place the avocado slices onto one half of the omelet. Use a fork to lightly mash the avocado in place. Sprinkle some salt on the avocado, then fold the omelet in half, so everything is encased within the tortilla.
Transfer the omelet to a plate, and drizzle with chili oil. Kaidòng! Enjoy!
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