Xialun Temple East Oyster Omelette Introduction
Fuan Temple's evening market is different from night markets, selling vegetables, fish, meat, fruits, as well as snacks and small eats. "Temple East Oyster Omelette" enjoys a great reputation in the evening market of Xiulun. The owner, Liu Dongteng (born in 1966), originally operated a motorcycle shop in Taipei, but returned to his hometown to run a business that did not succeed. Therefore, since 1996, he switched to driving a rice harvester to help others with rice harvesting, working two months for each farming season with a long off-season. He began selling oyster omelettes as a side job. Starting in 2006, based on his 10 years of cooking experience and a steady customer base, he began professionally selling oyster omelettes at fixed times and locations. The method for making "Temple East Oyster Omelette" involves heating oil in a skillet, adding oysters, pouring in a batter mixed with chives over the oysters, cracking an egg and flipping it over, then adding greens before flipping again to cover the greens. This allows the vegetables to steam until cooked, and then it's plated with sauce served on the side. Liu Dongteng's method, developed through years of selling and observation, protects the oysters by cooking them first to ensure they are fully cooked. Flipping the omelette on both sides helps cook the egg thoroughly and also allows for excess moisture to evaporate, preventing a watery taste. It is noted that half-cooked oysters can have a fishy smell. Regarding the oysters, Liu Dongteng has a long-term partnership with oyster farmers to provide seedlings that have not been exposed to fresh water. If oysters absorb fresh water, they will swell and shrink when cooked, affecting the quality of the oysters.
