White black on a white marbled background. On the plate is a flat omelette with a slice cut out. In the foreground, a pair of chopsticks hold up the slice of omelette.

Mai

This recipe is a part of our our mini series: Vietnamese dishes that might put foreigners into a coma.

We’re starting strong with a dish that I grew up eating occasionally, but didn’t appreciate until I got older: Trứng chiên óc heo (also known as Óc heo chiên trứng) – pig brain omelette. Some internet research tells me that this combination is not unique to Vietnamese cuisine, and that there are different versions of this dish in China, Portugal, Austria, and the Midwest and Southern regions of the U.S.

Disclaimer: like with any other culture, different Vietnamese people have various levels of tolerance for dishes like this one- just like how the French are divided over andouille- i.e. pork intestine sausage.

Brains, and pig brains in particular, have a very soft, creamy, fatty texture with a mild but distinct taste. As a kid, it wasn’t the idea of eating brain that I had a hard time with, but the super creamy texture. As an adult, I learned to love it and dishes with this texture became some of my favorites. The creaminess means you have to get the ratio of the eggs & brain right, since too much brain would make the dish too fatty.

If you’re daring, this is a fun and easy way to switch up simple fried eggs for dinner.

White black on a white marbled background. On the plate is a flat omelette with a slice cut out.

INGREDIENTS FOR TRỨNG CHIÊN ÓC HEO

Pig brain – Óc heo: Vietnam has a culture of utilizing every part of an animal. Personally, I strongly believe that if you consume meat, using every part of the animal is respecting the life that was taken to feed you. Brains, and pig brains in particular, have a very soft, creamy, fatty texture with a mild but distinct taste.
Eggs – Trứng
Green onion – Hành lá
Shallot – Hành tím/hành khô
Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
White granulated sugar – Đường cát trắng
Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
Vegetable oil – Dầu thực vật

DIRECTIONS FOR TRỨNG CHIÊN ÓC HEO

Chop green onion.
Peel and thinly slice shallot.
In a large bowl of water, clean brain and remove membrane with red capillaries.
Add the brain to a bowl and use scissors to roughly cut into bite-sized pieces.
Add in eggs, fish sauce, bouillon, sugar, and ground black pepper.
Beat gently with chopsticks or a fork.
Add in most of the chopped green onion, saving a small amount for garnish, and mix gently.
Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan.
Add shallot and sweat until soft and fragrant.
Pour in egg mixture and fry covered on medium low.
When the top has almost set (about 8-9 minutes), flip and fry until bottom is golden.
Remove to a plate and top with the remaining chopped green onion.

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