Japanese love their eggs just like the rest of us, and eggs are a common appearance at the breakfast table. They even have their own version of an omelette, called tamagoyaki. (tamago meaning egg and yaki meaning grilled) When you first see them, you might want to call them egg sushi, since they are typically cut into bite sized pieces, similar to a sushi roll, and in fact you can even serve them on top of sushi.
In Japan it’s not just a breakfast food though, since its easy to make an is a great way to get protein. It’s a common food to see in boxed lunches, or bento, and popular with kids. Because it’s a popular bento food, you’ve probably seen it all over the place in anime, and all over the place in those kawaii bento photos! They are a delicious and fun way to enjoy eggs, and once you’ve tasted them, you might never go back! (We can’t stand to eat eggs any other way after trying these, tamagoyaki are just too delicious.
In Japan they have a rectangular shaped frying pan to get the roll into a uniform thickness, but they will come out just fine with a regular frying pan as well. It is up to you how many times you want to roll your egg, but the more layers you use, the lighter the inside will be, which I think is the best part. You should try to aim for at least 4 to 5 layers when making them. You can take them straight out of the pan and cut them up, or you can transfer them to a sushi mat to cool. Rolling them in a sushi mat helps keep them circular and creates grooved edges as the egg sets, but it’s purely for aesthetics so don’t worry if you don’t have one!
Recipe – Bacon, Egg & Cheese Tamagoyaki:
– Crack eggs and mix with sugar, mirin, soy sauce and salt. Once whisked, add the bacon and cheese.
– Heat the frying pan on a medium high heat. Once hot, use a paper towel to spread a little oil out on on a pan.
– Carefully pour about 1/4th of the egg mixture into the pan. the egg will start to cook immediately, so be ready to work quickly.
– Once it is almost cooked, carefully roll the egg to one side of the pan, flipping it on itself as you go to create a swirl.
– Roll the rest of the egg into itself and let it set for a couple of seconds until the egg has completely cooked. Lightly cover the pan with oil again. Pour another 1/4th of the egg mixture on the pan, making sure it touches the rolled egg you already have.
– Again, once the egg has almost completely cooked, roll the egg carefully to the other side of the pan like you did before. Repeat this process until all of the egg mixture has been used up.
– Once the egg mixture has been used up, you should have a pretty substantial looking roll. Transfer it to a sushi mat or cutting board to cool. Then cut off the ends and divide into pieces.
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