This is a quick and easy Nonya omelette recipe where the eggs are seasoned primarily with cincalok, a food of Malaccan origin. Cincalok is basically fermented shrimps (known as krill or “geragau”) brined in salt – you can even see the tiny black dots aka the shrimp eyes peeping through the glass bottle. It is usually used as a condiment with lime juice, sliced chilli and shallots, perfect for spicy foods. “Pungent”, “stinky” and “smell of rotten fish” are common descriptions one will use to describe its smell.
Once you got pass the creepy eyes and potent smell though, you will be glad to acquire the taste for this unpretentious ingredient. In this fried eggs, there is no other seasoning required as it is very salty on its own with a depth of flavour. This simple dish goes very well with porridge.
My bottle of cincalok bought from the supermarket. Take care when opening the glass bottle for the first time, as the fermentation process causes pressure to build up inside the container.
Different brands of cincalok (chinchalok/cencaluk) come in varying degrees of saltiness, so do adjust the amount used to taste accordingly.
Recipe adapted from The Little Teochew: Nonya Cincalok Omelette