Rice Meals · Thailand

How Many Calories in Khao Kai Jeow?

Also known as ข้าวไข่เจียว, Khao Khai Jiao, Thai Omelette Rice, Kai Jeow Moo Sap.

The cheapest meal in Thailand: a fluffy, crisp edged omelette fried in a lot of hot oil, usually with a spoon of minced pork, over a plate of rice with prik nam pla (fish sauce with chili and lime) and sriracha. 35 to 45 baht at any tam sang stall.

500kcal / 1 plate
A 380g plate of khao kai jeow moo sap (omelette with minced pork over rice) is about 500 calories, the Thai Department of Health figure. The rice is about 290, the two eggs 150, the minced pork 35 and the oil the omelette soaks up around 40. A plain single egg version is closer to 400.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 plate (380g)AmountPer 100g
Calories500 kcal132 kcal
Protein22 g6 g
Carbs60 g16 g
Fat20 g5 g

Where the calories come from

Steamed rice220g
290 kcal
Eggs (2)100g
150 kcal
Minced pork20g
35 kcal
Frying oil absorbed by the omelette4g
36 kcal
Prik nam pla and sriracha20g
10 kcal

The real talk

A Thai omelette is not a French omelette. The eggs are beaten with fish sauce and a splash of lime, then poured into a wok of oil so hot the edges puff and go brown. That is what makes it good, and it is also why two eggs at 150 calories become an omelette of about 220: the puffed edges hold oil. The Department of Health figure of 500 for the plate with pork reflects that, and hdmall lists a plain khao kai jeow at 445.

For 40 baht this is a decent protein plate. Two eggs and 20g of minced pork give you about 18g of protein, and with the rice it reaches 22g. The problem is the ratio: 220g of rice is 290 calories, more than the omelette, and it disappears under sriracha in about 4 minutes. Ask for kai song (two eggs) and khao noi (less rice) and you flip the ratio to more protein than starch.

Toppings are cheap here, calorie wise. Prik nam pla is fish sauce, chili and lime at about 5 calories a spoon. Sriracha is about 15 calories a tablespoon. The one that adds up is when a stall drops a second omelette on for 10 baht: that is another 220 calories, and a two omelette plate is over 700. Kai jeow with crab meat (kai jeow poo) at a seafood restaurant is around 550 as a plate.

How the portions compare

400 kcal
Single egg omelette, no pork
500 kcal
Standard, two eggs with minced pork (Department of Health, 380g)
720 kcal
Double omelette plate

Khao Kai Jeow variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Kai jeow only, 2 eggs (no rice)220 kcalThe omelette alone
Khao kai jeow, single egg400 kcalPlain, no pork
Khao kai jeow moo sap500 kcalTwo eggs with minced pork, the standard
Khao kai jeow poo (crab)550 kcalSeafood restaurant style, more egg

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in a Thai omelette?
About 220 for a two egg kai jeow fried in a wok, or around 140 for a single egg one. The oil the puffed edges absorb adds 40 to 70 over the eggs themselves.
Is khao kai jeow good for weight loss?
It can be. A two egg plate with less rice is about 400 calories with 18g of protein for 40 baht. The default plate with a full scoop of rice is 500.
How much oil is in kai jeow?
The wok holds a lot, but the omelette only keeps about 4 to 8g of it, which is 36 to 72 calories. Thin omelettes absorb less than puffy ones.

Related foods

See all Rice Meals calories, ranked ›

Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or food court serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on Thai Department of Health (กรมอนามัย) via health.kapook.com khao kai jeow moo sap 380g = 500 kcal; hdmall.co.th khao kai jeow 1 plate = 445 kcal. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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