|
After he graduated senior high, Proprietor Lee opened a catering business. However, 20 years ago, a friend of his who was a catering chef at that time, invited him to move to the fishing village of Kezihliao, where they opened their own eateries. He moved his family to Zihguan District and then opened Chef Lee's Oyster Omelet. He has become known in the region for its square shaped omelets. The catering chef friend opened a shrimp roll eatery next door.
Kezihliao (Kezih meaning oyster and liao meaning settlement in Mandarin), was once known for its booming oyster aquaculture industry. However in 1937, when the navy set up its port in Zuoying, the oyster culturing industry in Kezihliao became prohibited. It was deemed to be a risk to the military vessels that were sailing in the same waters.
Mr. Lee puts 10 oysters into every omelet. However, due to this year's extreme weather, the price of fresh oysters has skyrocketed. The price went from 90 NTD per catty to 160 NTD. However, Mr. Lee did not increase his prices, as he maintains the philosophy that he will be more competitive. He feels by never putting up his prices, his sales will increase. Mr. Lee explains, the size of the oysters varies throughout the year and oysters tend to be plumper and meatier in the summer. During the winter however, because of the Northeast monsoons, oysters receive fewer nutrients and are therefore smaller.
Mr. Lee has clients that live as far away as South Africa, but whenever they return home for a visit, they come to enjoy his delicious local cuisine. He is proud that his clients regard his oyster omelet dishes as something they look forward to when they come home. Regular customers even sometimes bring in their own food, like fish and have him cook it for them.
Mr. Lee serves his customers from the kitchen and cooks up his oyster omelets at the same time. He swirls the flour mixture, scatters the oysters, pour the oil and then the eggs into the wok. He then adds a scoop of flour mixture, and places beside a handful of vegetables. He then places the fried vegetables on the cooked oysters and shapes the omelet into a square. It is flipped over to make the edges crunchy and then ready to serve. The outer layer is crispy, but the center remains moist and soft. The oysters are fresh and the fried vegetables give the omelet a mild sweetness. A delicious sweet and sour sauce adds flavor. It's not surprising that it has become so popular with local residents. |
|
原本是「總鋪師」的李老闆，高中畢業後南來北往、四處奔走工作，直到約二十年前，他的師兄詢問是否有意願到蚵仔寮一起做生意，於是便舉家南遷買下現址，店面左邊由他經營蚵仔煎，右邊是師兄的蝦捲攤位。憑藉著總鋪師的廚藝功夫，他研發出「方形」蚵仔煎，選用嘉義布袋養殖的蚵仔，每份都有約十顆蚵仔，開店至今沒有漲過價，一份50元。老闆感嘆以前蚵仔一斤90元，現在一斤160元，他仍然咬牙苦撐，薄利多銷。
經由老闆解釋，我才了解原來蚵仔寮現在不產蚵仔，左營軍港建港後，由於蚵仔會影響艦艇運行，所以禁止養殖蚵仔。夏天的蚵仔較肥美，冬天受東北季風影響，蚵仔吸收養分較慢，所以較小。店內蚵仔煎搭配的蔬菜也會因季節而調整，夏天搭配小白菜與豆芽菜，冬天則是茼蒿。這幾年下來，也有熟客會買魚貨來請老闆代為料理，甚至有個住在南非的客人，每次回國，一定會來吃一份蚵仔煎，不吃不能解鄉愁。
在與老闆談笑間，轉眼接近開店時刻，客人陸續上門，老闆便站上鐵板前的階梯，手腳俐落地煎了起來。只見他先攪拌麵糊，在鐵板上淋上一些油，放上一把蚵仔，澆下蛋液，稍後舀起一匙麵糊淋上，再將一把蔬菜就在旁邊快速拌炒後，放在蚵仔上方，最後將四周的麵糊往中間折，形成一長方形，一兩分鐘後翻面，在等過幾分鐘後淋上特調醬汁，即可上桌。蚵仔煎邊緣「恰恰」（酥脆），中心麵糊仍軟嫩，蚵仔新鮮，蔬菜拌炒後不會有過生的氣味，醬汁酸酸甜甜的，讓人一口接一口欲罷不能，不一會兒就盤底朝天了，著實羨慕在地人能擁有這麼一間真材實料的蚵仔煎店，可以常常前往品嘗。
自己動手做蚵仔煎：
1.醬汁：番茄醬、A1醬與梅林醬，用這三種醬料調配而成。
2.麵糊：番薯粉、太白粉、豆粉與少許鹽調製。
3.煎的順序：油→蚵仔→蛋液→麵糊→炒菜→包起來煎→翻面→再煎五分鐘→大功告成。 |
