These light, spicy canapés make a perfect prelude to dinner. Plain Thai omelettes are also good rolled up, cut into thin strips and mixed into a rice dish before serving, or added to a chicken broth.
1 large egg
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
2 spring onions (scallions)
30g (2 tbsp) softened butter
4 slices of white bread, 1cm (½in) thick
80g (2¾oz) brown shrimps, peeled
pinch of chilli powder
Break the egg into a bowl, add the fish sauce and beat very lightly. Very finely slice the green part of the spring onions; set aside. Shred the top of the white spring onions, keeping the base intact, then immerse in iced water to open out; reserve for the garnish. Drain and pat dry once they have opened.
Gently heat a 20 cm (8in) non-stick frying pan with a very flat base, then brush with softened butter. Pour in half of the beaten egg and tilt to spread the egg thinly and evenly over the surface, as if making a crêpe. Cook over a low heat for about 1 minute, until the omelette has set. Remove from the pan and slide on to a sheet of greaseproof paper or a plate. It should be cooked on one side only to keep it soft and malleable. Make another omelette with the rest of the egg in the same way.
To make the croûtes, cut out 4 rounds from each slice of bread, using a 3.5 cm (1½in) plain pastry cutter. Toast under the grill (broiler) on one side only.
Scatter the peeled shrimps and green spring onion over the omelettes and sprinkle with the chilli powder. Roll each omelette up delicately but tightly to make an even roll. Cut each one into 8 small slices and stand them upright on the toasted side of the croûtes. Arrange on a serving dish and garnish with the white spring onions.