My dad is no Jay Fai, but he loves a Thai omelet. Here’s our recipe.

I set out to write about Thai omelets. But what started as a story about eggs is mostly a story about my dad.

My father doesn’t cook, aside from his recently acquired hobby of using the air fryer. But if there’s one thing he can make and survive on, it’s rice and eggs.

He likes ‘em sunny side up with the crispy, frayed edges and a splash of soy sauce. He likes ‘em boiled lightly, then stirred up in a mug with white pepper, Maggi sauce and Thai chile flakes. I’ve seen him eat kai jeow, a Thai fried omelet, countless times with a hot, fragrant mound of jasmine rice. Sometimes the puffy golden pillow has minced pork (kai jeow moo sab), but his favorite way is with crab meat (kai jeow pu).

I can picture him on Saturday afternoon with a plate of white rice and kai jeow at his favorite dining table spot, by the glass-door cabinet where my mom keeps the good china on display.