The recipe

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add 200g (podded weight) of edamame beans and boil until tender – about 8 minutes. Drain and refresh. Finely chop 8 spring onions, discarding the roots and any tough dark green leaves. Shred 200g of pak choi. Peel and thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic. Finely slice 2 green chillies. Warm 2 tbsp of groundnut oil in a large, shallow pan, then fry the spring onions, garlic and chillies until soft, then add the shredded pak choi and lastly 150g of bean shoots, tossing them in the hot oil and cooking for 3-4 minutes until softened.

Break 6 eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Add the cooked and drained edamame, the fried vegetables and aromatics. Fold in salt, black pepper, 1 or 2 tsp of Nigella seeds and a handful of coriander leaves. Warm 2 tbsp of oil in a large, metal-handled frying pan, pour in the omelette mixture and fry over a moderate heat for about 8 minutes until the edges have set and the middle is still almost liquid. Heat the overhead (oven) grill. Place the frying pan under the grill and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the centre of the omelette is lightly set. Ideally, it should be a little soft, just verging on the point of setting. Cut in half and serve. Enough for 2.

The trick

You need a pan, wide and shallow, that doesn’t stick. I use a battered 24cm nonstick frying pan for the amounts above. As the omelette firms up, tease the golden edges away from the side of the pan with a palette knife. Shaking the pan back and forth will free the base of the omelette without recourse to a fish slice, which could damage its baveuse heart.

The twist

Once the eggs are beaten and the pan hot, you are spoilt for choice with what to fill it. Asparagus, cut into short lengths and lightly steamed; shredded spring greens with roasted caraway seeds and sprouted seeds, or shimeji mushrooms with shredded dill are just a few ideas.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter@NigelSlater