Foopie is neither fish pie nor pasta. It’s my peculiar cross between foo young, frittata and pizza pie, with a potato base, masses of vegetables, soy, five-spice, gochujang, six eggs and a cheesy top. The single most important instruction is: don’t scramble it.
SERVES 4–6 · PREP 25 min · COOK 35–45 min
Ingredients
- 500 g waxy potatoes, sliced 2–3 mm thin
- 1 whole broccoli (about 300 g florets), finely chopped
- 150 g green beans, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 150 g beansprouts
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 5 tbsp light soy sauce, divided, plus to taste
- 1½ tsp Chinese five-spice
- 1 heaped tbsp gochujang paste
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 6 large eggs plus 75 ml milk
- 125 g grated mature cheddar
- 3 spring onions, cut into 1 cm pieces
- An ovenproof 28–30 cm cast-iron or stainless-steel frying pan (no PTFE or non-stick coating)
Method
- I set a large ovenproof frying pan, lid, mixing jug, chopping board and oven gloves out. Check that the pan handle is ovenproof before using the grill. Slice every vegetable before heating the pan; the potatoes take longest and must soften before the egg is poured.
- I set the grill to medium-high near the end of cooking, not yet. Put the frying pan on the hob and check its handle is ovenproof. Wash the potatoes, slice thinly (about the thickness of a £1 coin) and cut all the other vegetables before turning the heat on.
- I heat the EMPTY stainless-steel pan for 1 minute over medium heat, then add 2 tbsp oil. Arrange the sliced potatoes as a broad, even base. Cook for 7–10 minutes, turning gently every couple of minutes, until beginning to soften; splash in 1 tbsp soy and 2 tbsp water if they start to stick.
- I add all the chopped broccoli and green beans. Stir carefully to bring the vegetables through the potato base. Add the sliced onion and beansprouts. Cover with a lid for 5–7 minutes to steam-soften, stirring once; the potatoes must be almost tender before the egg goes in.
- Shake in the five-spice, add 3 more tbsp soy, the gochujang and oyster sauce, and stir until every vegetable is glossy. Add the chopped garlic and fry another minute. If a lot of liquid gathers, take off the lid and bubble gently until the pan is moist but not soupy.
- Crack SIX eggs into a jug, add 75 ml milk and beat thoroughly with a fork until a single golden mixture. Taste the cooked vegetables now; they are already salty from soy and oyster sauce, so do not add salt automatically.
- Lower the hob to medium-low. Pour egg mixture evenly over the vegetables, then gently lift and settle the mixture ONCE so it runs into any gaps. Do NOT scramble it: leave the bottom to set for 2–3 minutes without stirring. Turn on the medium-high grill.
- I scatter the grated cheese over the top. Put the ovenproof frying pan under the grill for 2–3 minutes until the cheese begins to melt. Add chopped spring onions, then return under the grill for about 3–5 minutes, keeping a close eye on the surface.
- The Foopie is ready when the cheese is golden and the centre no longer wobbles with liquid egg. If the top colours before the middle sets, move the pan farther from the grill and give it another 2 minutes. Rest 5 minutes, then slide out or slice into wedges.
The quantities that weren’t captured in the original voice recording are sensible repeat estimates, but the six eggs and the order of cooking are the real thing. Because I use oyster sauce, this isn’t vegetarian as written.