By Ajarn Helen Jandamit
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
University Tips is here to help you prepare for the English exams and tests that are coming your way. It gives you practise answering questions similar to those you may have at school and also on the University Entrance Examination.
Read the following story by Suthon Sukphisit from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
If mealtime is approaching and you haven’t thought about what you are going to eat, a simple omelette is a good choice. You can’t really go wrong with the basic recipe. Just break and beat the eggs, season with some nam pla (fish sauce), fry until done and serve with some hot rice.
SIMPLE TEST
Nowadays cooking an omelette is seen as a test of a chef’s skill. Preparing a delicious one requires the practice and experience that comes with making them often enough to develop a personal style and technique. A cook who knows how to make a first-class omelette for the family might decide to go into business and open a shop that sells it with rice as a one-dish meal, or maybe in addition to a few other choices.
SIMPLE TIPS
Making a basic omelette is easy. Anyone can do it. But to cook a really good one is a different story. There are a number of techniques that help make an omelette turn out well. For example, after beating the egg and adding some nam pla, squeeze in just a bit of lime juice. The juice will keep the egg from collapsing quickly after it fluffs up during frying, and keep it from losing its light texture after it is on the serving plate.
These are techniques to make a simple, tasty omelette. But there are more elaborate omelettes that include other ingredients, like vegetables or mara (bitter melon).
DELICIOUS ADDITIONS
Two especially popular omelettes are khai jio muu sap (minced pork omelette) and khai jio kung (shrimp omelette). Khai yat sai, or stuffed omelettes, are classics of Thai cuisine, but preparation is more elaborate than for an ordinary omelette, because the stuffing has to be cooked first.
Omelettes, common and basic as they seem, are an important and versatile part of Thai cuisine.
DISAPPEARING DISHES
All of these different omelettes are well-known and popular today, but there is one more that was a favourite in the past but is rarely seen now — kaeng jued khai jio (a bland omelette soup). You will have to do some searching to find a shop in Thailand that serves it nowadays, but it is popular in China, often as one of the items on a set menu.
Exercises
Section 1
Read the story and answer the following multiple-choice questions.
1. According to the author, which of the following statements is NOT true?
a. Omelettes are a popular dish.
b. Omelettes are difficult to make.
c. Omelettes can be served with rice.
2. What will keep the egg mixture from collapsing quickly after it fluffs up during frying?
a. Squeezing in a little lime juice.
b. Beating the egg.
c. Adding some nam pla.
3. Which of the following is sometimes added to omelettes?
a. Lettuce.
b. Potato.
c. Bitter melon.
4. In which of the following recipes are vegetables and meat served inside an envelope of beaten and fried egg?
a. Bland omelette soup.
b. Stuffed omelettes.
c. Eggs Benedict.
5. Which dish is seen less today than in the past?
a. Bland omelette soup.
b. Minced pork omelette.
c. Shrimp omelette.
6. Why is the preparation for stuffed omelettes more elaborate than for ordinary omelettes?
a. Because you have to add some fish sauce.
b. Because they include other ingredients.
c. Because the stuffing has to be cooked first.
7. How do you cook a basic omelette?
a. Boil it.
b. Fry it.
c. Roast it.
8. Where is bland omelette soup popular?
a. In China.
b. In Thailand.
c. In England.
Section 2
Read the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
9. Stuffed omelettes are classics of Chinese cuisine.
………………………
10. According to the author, making a basic omelette is easy.
………………………
11. Omelettes made with shrimp are called stuffed omelettes.
………………………
12. Minced pork omelettes contain shrimps.
………………………
Section 3
Read each of the following sentences and underline the grammatically correct words in each from the choices given.
13. After frying an omelette, add/adding/added some fish sauce.
14. A cook knows what/how/well to make an omelette.
15. Here are some tips to make a simply/simple/simplicity, tasty omelette.
Section 4
Fill in the blanks in the following passage with the correct words from the choices given.
Another trick is …..16….. let the frying oil get so hot that it smokes, then pouring the egg …..17….. it through a slotted spatula …..18….. it enters the wok as long threads. When it …..19….. the oil it will spread out through the wok in strands …..20….. look and taste delicious.
16.
a. for
b. to
c. on
17.
a. into
b. from
c. forward
18.
a. so much
b. so on
c. so that
19.
a. hits
b. hitting
c. hit
20.
a. who
b. those
c. that
Section 5
Write down the noun forms of the following words used in the story.
21. tasty ……………….
22. different ……………….
23. simple ……………….
24. important ……………….
Vocabulary
- recipe (n): a set of instructions that tells you how to cook something and the ingredients
elaborate (adj): very complicated and detailed
versatile (adj): having many different uses
bland (adj): not having a strong or interesting taste
