Oyster Omelette (Hao Luo)

Hao luo is the Chaozhou oyster omelette: fresh oysters are folded into a sweet-potato starch batter with duck egg and pan-fried — a long-celebrated folk snack of the city.

The Chaoshan coast teems with oysters, and the dish spread early: by the late Qing, stalls frying hao luo were already common throughout Chaozhou's towns, marking its long life as a street food.

It is served hot, scattered with coriander and dipped in Chaoshan fish sauce or chilli paste to lift the brininess; usually eaten as a late-night or night-market snack alongside tea.

The skill is in the heat: the starch batter is fried until its edges go lacy and crisp while the centre stays soft, the plump oysters bursting with juice — crisp-outside, tender-inside, salty and fresh, the showpiece of Chaozhou's pan-frying.