INTRODUCTION

As I have mentioned many times, I do not have much choices at Japanese restaurant as I do not eat raw food.. As for sushi, I only eat the  cucumber maki and sushi with cooked food. Tamagoyaki is always one of them that I ordered. Strangely enough, I liked it because it is sweet and possibly the friendly taste..

“Tamagoyaki (卵焼き or 玉子焼き, literally “grilled egg”, also called tamago or dashimaki) is a type of Japanese omelette, which is made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg. These usually are prepared in a rectangular omelette pan called a makiyakinabe. There are several types of tamago. Tamago is made by combining eggs, and sometimes sugar or soy sauce. Additionally,sake is used in some recipes. An alternative version includes a mix of shrimp puree, grated mountain yam, sake and egg, turned into a custard-like cake.” (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamagoyaki)

This is definitely not a difficult recipe and there is a special pan called makiyakinabe specially designed for the preparation of this omelette. Some even come with a cover and presser that nicely fit into the pan so that you can compact your tamagoyaki into rectangular shape. The one I used does not have that and therefore it is a bit more difficult to make the omelette compact enough.

Is it really necessary to have this pan? My objective assessment is not necessary but with this pan, it is much easier for you to prepare and there are less wastage at the sides. The recovery rate for serving are higher. In fact there are many recipes in the internet that teaches how to cook using a round pan. If you are asking how much I pay for this pan, I get mine from Robinson Departmental stores, Singapore at the price of about S$20. I believed many other places will have this too.

The recipe is very straight forward and you can adjust the sugar and salt to your liking. This recipe is on the sweet side and if you like savoury egg omelette, you can reduce the sugar accordingly. I am generally happy with this very first attempt of tamagoyaki. It looks easy but i am of the humble opinion that it needs practises.

I have prepared two tamagoyaki. The first one is slightly brownish and during the preparation, I have adjusted the heat until that it will dry up but not yet brown. Do make some allowances for error if you are preparing for the very first time. While it is a satisfactory batch in terms of colour and shape, but the compactness can be further improved. There are some holes in the first batch that should not appeared in Tamagoyaki.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: 3-4 adult servings

• 4 eggs
• one packet (5 grams) of dashi stock (optional)
• 1 tablespoon of Japanese rice wine , Mirin (optional)
• 4 tablespoons of fresh milk
• Pinches of salt
• 2 tablespoons of white sugar

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• In a bowl, crack the eggs and add all the ingredients. Use a pair of chopstick to beat the egg lightly until well combined without lumps.

• Heat up the pan (round or makiyakinabe) under medium to low heat, and brush with some cooking oil, pour some beaten eggs into the pan such that it forms a thin layer.

• When the eggs are set, gently roll the omelette from one side such that it is in a log form. Brush the pan with the oil again, and push the rolled egg omelette to one side. Add a bit more eggs such that it covers the pan. Lightly tilt the rolled egg omelette and let the beaten eggs flow to the bottom. This will ensure that the rolled egg omelette will stick to the new layer. Rolled again from the other side. Repeat the same procedures until all the beaten eggs are used. For me, it is about 5 layers for this recipe.

• Cooled for about 5 minutes before slicing using a sharp knife.

Note:

• Don’t worry about the first layer. It is the most difficult layer to roll. It will become easier and easier when our omelette are thicker. As it gets thicker, it will become a rectangular shape. If you have an icing leveller, you can use it  to compact the eggs by pressing on one side against the vertical wall and another one from the top. This will yield a beautiful rectangular tamagoyaki.

• Keep an eye on the heat and do rotate your pan to ensure even heat distribution. Tamagoyaki is not supposed to be brownish. Therefore, the eggs you poured into the pan must not be too thick. The quantity of the eggs poured down is considered as ideal if it can set without browning. In order for the various layers to stick together, the eggs must not be overcooked. Therefore, you have to roll at the right time for them to stick together.

CONCLUSION

The tamagoyaki pan is useful but not necessary. You can always used a round pan and many other recipes have used round pan though the tamagoyaki produced will not be as beautiful as those served in the restaurant. Whether or not to invest in such a pan is up to individual. Once again, preparing this is not difficult, it is the learning curve that readers will have to prepare for it. Set aside some error tolerances for the first few eggs.  Personally, I am pleased with the recipe and I hoped it will help those who are looking for the recipe.

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