Transform Your Omelet Into The Perfect Portable Breakfast With Only One Ingredient

If you love a hearty breakfast, but frequently need to eat on the go, the Vietnamese-style rice paper omelet may be the solution you need. Similar to an American omelet in terms of texture and taste, this traditional Vietnamese street food enfolds a hearty two-egg omelet inside a tidy rice paper envelope to make it portable. The rice paper acts as a sort of protective taco shell to keep the omelet intact while you chow down. The best part is that the ingredients and technique for making this clever breakfast dish are simple and accessible. 

While this is definitely one of those omelet hacks that will change the way you cook forever, it's important to note that the style of your omelet matters here. We mentioned American omelets specifically because they're fairly sturdy and designed to hold plenty of fillings. The more delicate French omelette a la Julia Child and Jacques Pépin is far too soft and moist for this hack to work. 

Though this rice paper omelet does take slightly more time than Child's 14-second creation, it still comes together fairly quickly. Simply place a circle of dry rice paper in a nonstick pan over low heat, pouring your slightly beaten eggs and fillings on top. Instead of a big spatula, use a small fork, spoon, or even chopsticks to gently swirl the egg around as it sets. Once set, add your cheese, fold the omelet in half so that the rice paper is on the outside, and enjoy.

One of the most important aspects of executing this technique correctly is having everything ready before any of your ingredients touch your pan. That means chopping up all of your desired add-ins, cracking eggs into a bowl with seasoning, and having a single piece of rice paper close by on a plate or towel. This is important because — even with your burner set to low heat — this omelet cooks very fast, which helps ensure the rice paper gets crispy but doesn't burn.

Something else to keep in mind is to avoid overloading your omelet. Since this recipe only uses two eggs, you'll have less real estate than in a typical omelet for heavy ingredients like coined sausage and chunks of cheese. At most, you'll need a tablespoon or so of each add-in to ensure the omelet remains portable and doesn't break open mid bite. You can also sauté your veggies in water to add delicious flavor without making the inside of your breakfast too greasy.

This omelet also offers an opportunity to experiment with flavors atypical to the American omelet. While it's perfectly acceptable (and very tasty) to stick to things like crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and minced bell peppers, you can also get the full Vietnamese omelet experience by flavoring it with soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms, and chives. Cheese doesn't usually complement these flavors, so you can replace it with a drizzle of luscious sesame oil or even zesty and spicy chili crisp oil.