My oldest son has been asking me to cook oyster cake for a long time. It is one of his favorite dishes to order every time he eats at Phnom Penh, a famous Cambodian restaurant in Chinatown here in Vancouver. I finally made it on the weekend and the whole family loved it. I have made it before, but this time I used a different recipe, resulting a better tasting oyster cake. My husband says that “it tastes like what an o-chien should taste”.
O-chien is the Fukien word for oyster cake. It is made of oysters, bean sprouts and green onions, mixed with tapioca starch and then fried with eggs. The result is a golden brown, sticky and delicious omelette-like dish that my oldest son keeps raving about 🙂
Oyster Cake (O-chien)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 (16oz) jar oysters, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup bean sprouts, washed and drained
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix oysters, bean sprouts, green onions, salt and pepper.
- Add tapioca starch and mix well.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour mixture onto the skillet, spreading it throughout until flat.
- Add beaten eggs, spreading it evenly over and around the mixture. Cook until eggs have set.
- Flip it over and cook the other side until golden brown.
- Serve with ketchup or fish sauce.
- Enjoy!
Is it possible to substitute cornstarch or rice flour for the tapioca starch? Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
Yes, you can use cornstarch instead of tapioca starch.
As I was doing #1 instruction, I said to myself, “what? No water?” And even read and re read the instruction. It turns out the water from the oyster come out to eventually make the thin batter. What was the best about it was I used my wrought iron stainless pan and it had a perfect texture. It held it’s form. I am keeping this recipe in my archives. :). Thanks!
You’re welcome Jasy! I am glad you were able to try this recipe. It is always a big hit when I make them for my family and friends. Take care and thanks for writing 🙂
Hi Lisa, how long do you cook the tapioca mixture before you add in the eggs? Thanks!
Hi Amy,
You immediately add the beaten eggs after the tapioca mixture has been evenly spread out on the skillet. Hope this helps!
Super easy, super delicious! I didn’t have bean sprouts on hand so I substituted with spinach and it turned out great! Thank you for such wonderful recipe!
Hi Elaine,
Thanks so much for writing! My family love spinach so I will definitely use it next time I make this dish. Take care!
thank you for this! just like what they serve in Chinese restaurants. i just added some garlic and onion powder.
You’re welcome Anna!
Hi! Can you recommend a substitute for tapioca starch? Thanks!
You may use cornstarch or potato flour instead of tapioca starch. Enjoy!
This looks super tasty – I’m not sure if we can get anything but fresh oysters here – do you think they’d make a big difference?
Hi Annella,
I am pretty sure you can use fresh oysters and they will not make a big difference.