Tamagoyaki, Japanese omelette

Tamagoyaki is a kind of rolled omelet very popular in Japan but different from ours. Presentation:

• Tamagoyaki, a basic in Japan
• In Japanese cuisine
• The taste and texture
• The necessary utensils
• Its different forms

Tamagoyaki, a basic in Japan

The tamagoyaki 卵焼き is a sweet / savory omelet that is rolled on itself thanks to a square pan called makiyaki nabe. It is then compressed thanks to a sushi mat makisu then cut into slices. It is usually eaten cold / warm. Tamagoyaki exists since the Edo era, 16th-18th century, that’s why today it’s an essential dish, even traditional. It is cooked as well in Japanese homes, moreover it evokes “mom’s flavors”, as in the great sushi restaurants, in nigiri and chirachi sushi in particular.

In Japanese cuisine

In Japan, it is an everyday dish because it is found for breakfast, in sushi the bento and even in some festive dishes such as on Mother’s Day for example. It is eaten cold or warm with Japanese chopsticks accompanied by a little daikon shoyu soy sauce or a leaf of shiso.

Taste and texture

The big difference with our French omelette is the taste and texture. Generally, tamagoyaki is made of eggs, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, depending on the recipe mirin soy sauce, sugar and salt. Its ingredients are therefore sweet and a little salty. When tasted, the omelette is already seasoned and its texture is soft, dense and airy. A delight in the mouth!

There is another version where we add dashi, konbu or dried bonito broth, it is called dashimaki tamago. We find it better but more difficult to make! A treat!

The necessary utensils

To make a tamagoyaki, you need a square pan which we will detail more in this article makiyaki nabe. You can also use a round frying pan, but the realization will be more delicate. The principle of tamagoyaki is to place a thin film of your preparation, to roll it thanks to long Japanese chopsticks and to start again this principle until obtaining a roll.

This operation is quite technical and your preparation of your tamagoyaki must be well homogeneous so that you can roll it easily without it crumbling and blackening quickly. An advice, for it to be yellow, you have to cook on a low heat, and quickly because the soy sauce and the mirin will brown the whole dish.

When you get your roll, place it in the makisu, a sushi mat. Thanks to it you can compress it slightly so that it takes shape and give original patterns.

We have seen above the basic ingredients, to this can be added other ingredients such as nori, spinach, negi, ham. You are free to add whatever food you like. You can also put your tamagoyaki in rice like a sandwich like onigirazu for example.

Its different shapes

From simple shapes, today the tamagoyaki takes very different shapes because Japanese people like to customize their dish:

As you have seen, tamagoyaki is a basic Japanese food. Besides, kids love this dish because it is slightly sweet. Here is our tamagoyaki recipe, easy, quick and delicious!