Tamagoyaki: Japanese Rolled Omelette

Eggs come in many forms. My favourite is rectangular.

Tamagoyaki is a rolled omelette— and a Japanese Izakaya classic. You might even see it as street food, served on a stick!
It’s one of the dishes I order the most while visiting Japan.
Dashi infused, a little bit sweet, super bouncy & tender.

The most daunting part about making it at home is definitely the forming. But fret not. As long as you have a good non-stick pan, it’s super easy.

Using a tamagoyaki square pan is not necessary. Any round one will do, however the shape will be slightly more organic. But, that’s just fine—it will still taste just as dreamy.

Recipe:

Makes one omelette.

4 eggs
1 packet dashi granules
4 tbsp warm water
1 tsp soy sauce
1+1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp mirin

In a small bowl add your dashi granules and 4 tbsp of warm water. Stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, add your eggs followed by the dissolved dashi, soy sauce, sugar and mirin.
Using chopsticks, mix to combine. Try to to overmix, some whites should still be visible.

To Cook:

Place a square tamagoyaki pan (or round non-stick) over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil. With a small square of paper towel, sop up the excess oil, and coat the sides of the pan as well.

Add a bit of your egg mixture to the pan. Tilting it to form a relatively thin, even layer along the bottom of the pan.
Allow the egg to set slightly before rolling it up— starting at the side closest to you and pushing it to the farther side of the pan.
Use your oiled paper towel to grease the pan before pushing the folded egg back to the side closest to you.
Add another bit of your egg, again, tilting to form an even layer.
Lift up the rolled bit to allow some of the new egg to get under. This will help them attach together.
Allow this new layer to set slightly before rolling to the other side of the pan.
Grease the pan and push the omelette back to the side closest to you.