← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs
• 60 ml cold dashi
• 1 tsp light (usukuchi) soy sauce
• 1 tsp Mirin
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, on a folded paper towel
• 4 tbsp grated daikon, lightly squeezed
• 1 tsp soy sauce, to drizzle on the daikon

Method

1. Beat the eggs with chopsticks, cutting through the whites rather than whisking in air. Mix in the dashi, light soy sauce, mirin, sugar and salt, then strain through a sieve for a smooth omelette.
2. Heat a tamagoyaki pan (or a small frying pan) over medium heat and wipe it with the oiled paper. A drop of egg should sizzle immediately.
3. Pour in a quarter of the egg and tilt to cover the pan. Pop any big bubbles. When the bottom is set but the top is still wet, roll the egg from the far side towards you with chopsticks or a spatula.
4. Push the roll back to the far side, wipe the pan with oil again and pour in another quarter of the egg, lifting the roll so egg runs underneath. Roll it up again when nearly set.
5. Repeat until all the egg is used. The dashi makes the mixture delicate, so keep the heat moderate and work steadily.
6. Tip the omelette onto a bamboo mat or a sheet of foil, wrap it gently into a neat block and leave for 5 min. Slice and serve with grated daikon topped with a drop of soy sauce.

Tips

• Less dashi makes it easier to roll; work up to the full amount as you get the knack.
• Tamagoyaki from Tokyo is sweeter and firmer; dashimaki is the juicy Kansai style.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

RecipeTin Japan Japanese Cooking 101