Tamagoyaki
A classic Japanese omelette that you've probably had, whether at a sushi restaurant or as part of a bento box. There's probably two main distinguishing factors about tamagoyaki for me -- 1) the soft, custardy texture, and 2) the slightly sweet, savory flavor. It's fairly approachable but also surprisingly difficult to master. And also easily customizable once you've got the basic technique down!
Active Time: 10 min
Total Time: 15 min
Ingredients
> eggs (3-4, depending on the size of your eggs)
> sugar (1 tsp)
> soy sauce (1 tsp)
> mirin (1 tsp)
> dashi (3 tbsp)
> neutral oil spray
Instructions
1. Mix the eggs, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and instant dashi until well mixed, but avoid overmixing.
2. Heat a rectangular tamagoyaki pan over medium heat until warm. Add some neutral oil spray (alternatively, use a paper towel and rub oil over the pan).
3. Pour / ladle a thin layer of egg mixture into the pan, quickly tilting the pan so that the egg mixture coats the entire cooking surface. After the bottom of the egg has set but is still soft / runny on top, take the pan off the heat and start rolling the egg in a log shape, starting from the curved side to the handle side.
4. Move the rolled omelette to the curved side of the pan, and repeat (2) and (3) until all of the egg mixture is fully used.
5. (optional) Transfer to a bamboo sushi mat, and roll up the omelette in the bamboo sushi mat to help keep its shape. Let sit for ~5 minutes.
6. Slice it into pieces, serve, and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> I usually just end up hand-waving the ingredient amounts each time. Feel free to adjust the amounts depending on your taste! I think the ingredient amounts I listed will lead to a tamagoyaki that's a little less sweet than what you might be used to at restaurants. If you're serving this more as a dessert course like at omakase restuarants, definitely consider adding more sugar.
> I list the amount of dashi as 3 tbsp, but realistically speaking most of the time I just end up putting a pinch of instant dashi and call it a day. The water does make a difference in the resulting texture, however.
> You'll want to start rolling the egg earlier than you might think. The top should probably still be soft / slightly runny. The egg will continue to cook while it's in the log form. If you wait until the top is fully set before you start rolling you'll definitely notice that the egg is overcooked at the end.
> A rubber spatula goes a long way in helping make rolling easier. Consider using at two-spatula approach -- a rubber spatula to roll, and another one to hold it in place and prevent it from sliding when you're trying to roll.
> Consider also adding other fillings to the egg! Scallions, bonito flakes, nori, cheese, etc are all interesting options.