Why this Recipe Works
Using a high ratio of Japanese soup stock to egg gives this variation of tamagoyaki a tender, juicy texture and makes it extra flavorful. Minimizing the air in the egg is critical to achieving a rich custardy texture. Molding the dashimaki tamago using a sushi mat gives it a nice shape while letting you hide any blemishes in the omelette created when rolling. This also allows you to make it in a regular frying pan.
What’s the Difference between Dashimaki Tamago and Tamagoyaki?
There are many styles of omelettes in Japan, including usuyaki tamago, atsuyaki tamago, datemaki, etc. These are all versions of tamagoyaki. Both basic tamagoyaki and Dashimaki tamago are rolled omelettes, but dashimaki tamago has a high ratio of dashi stock, which gives the egg a softer texture.
Restaurant Style Dashimaki Tamago
In Japan, it’s thought that you can gauge the level of a high-end restaurant by the quality of their simplest dishes. Dashimaki Tamago makes for a great benchmark because the rolled omelette is not only ubiquitous, it takes skill and experience to make this elegant egg dish well. While the basic recipe may sound simple, great dashimaki tamago is characterized by a high ratio of Japanese soup stock to egg, but this makes the omelette extremely delicate. Restaurants in Kyoto use an acrobatic cooking technique involving chopsticks and gravity and when I interned at a Kyoto restaurant a number of years ago it felt like trying to eat pudding with chopsticks. As I destroyed roll after roll, I remember thinking, “Spatulas were invented for a reason!”. But a look over my shoulder at the stern look on my master’s face, along with the well-worn “encouragement stick” hanging on the wall, and I chose wisely not to question his cooking methods. While I eventually managed to roll one using chopsticks, I now use a spatula at home. With practice and patience, you can make this classic Japanese dish at home.
Ingredients for Dashimaki Tamago
Eggs - The main ingredient that provides structure and richness to the tamagoyaki. I recommend using eggs laid by hens fed a diet high in beta-carotene. This gives the egg yolks a vibrant orange hue, creating a beautiful golden color for this delicious dish. Dashi stock - This Japanese soup stock is made from kombu (kelp) and bonito flakes and adds umami and a subtle smoky flavor to the dashimaki tamago. I have a recipe for making dashi from scratch, or you can buy dashi packs, which are like teabags that can be steeped in boiling water to make dashi. If you can’t find it, other flavorful clear broths like chicken stock or vegetable broth will work, though the flavor will be different. Usukuchi soy sauce - Usukuchi means “light taste soy sauce” in Japanese. This soy sauce is commonly used in Japanese food hailing from the Kansai region. Its more delicate taste and lighter color result from a shorter fermentation period. It has a higher salt content, which helps the umami from the Japanese soup stock bloom without discoloring the egg. This is not the same as “light soy sauce” sold in the West, which usually indicates a lower sodium content. Shiroshoyu or “white soy sauce” will work best if you find it. Potato starch - A small amount of starch helps to bind the dashi stock with the egg so it doesn’t separate as you cook it. You can substitute it with cornstarch if necessary. Salt - Using soy sauce alone to season the egg will make it too dark in color, which is why I like to supplement it with a pinch of salt. Daikon - Grated daikon radish or daikon oroshi lends a refreshing contrast to the rich and savory tamago with its peppery sweetness. You can season it with a splash of soy sauce before eating.
How to Make Dashimaki Tamago
Mix the potato starch with dashi stock, usukuchi soy sauce, and salt in a large bowl and stir until the salt has fully dissolved. Next, break the eggs into a separate bowl. There’s no need to remove the chalaza here, as the mixture will be strained later. Beat the eggs with chopsticks (you could also use a fork). It’s important to mix the egg whites and yolks uniformly while incorporating as little air as possible. The best way to do this is to hold the chopsticks at a 90-degree angle to the bottom of the bowl and use a rapid side-to-side cutting motion. Avoid using a circular or whipping motion to avoid forcing air into the egg. I also avoid using a whisk for the same reason. Once the eggs are beaten, pour them into the dashi mixture and stir thoroughly, trying to limit the formation of bubbles. Strain this egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any unmixed egg. Heat a rectangular tamagoyaki pan over medium heat until it’s hot (see instructions below for using a regular pan). Lightly grease the pan using an oil-soaked paper towel, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies. The key here is to have a well-greased but not oily pan to prevent sticking and promote even cooking. Pour enough egg mixture into the pan to coat the bottom without swirling. If any air bubbles form, use chopsticks to pop them. As the bottom layer sets, you’ll notice it becoming more opaque. When it’s mostly cooked through, use a spatula to separate the edges from the pan and start rolling it from the far end towards you. This technique ensures even cooking and forms the layers of egg in this rolled omelette. Once you reach the front edge, slide the roll to the back of the pan. Grease the empty part of the pan again, then pour another layer of the egg mixture. Quickly lift the roll with chopsticks and tip the pan to get some fresh egg mixture under the omelette so it doesn’t burn. Repeat this process, layering and rolling, until you’ve used up all the egg mixture. When the dashimaki tamago is done, turn it out onto the center of a bamboo sushi mat with the bumpy side facing up. Roll one edge of the bamboo mat around the egg and cinch it up, applying gentle pressure to mold the tamagoyaki. This step helps shape the omelette and hides any imperfections from the rolling process. Let it rest for at least ten minutes to set.
Make Dashimaki Tamago in a Round Pan
Follow the process above to prepare the egg mixture, then preheat and grease a non-stick frying pan. Pour enough egg mixture into the pan to cover the bottom without swirling it. When the egg is no longer runny, use a spatula to fold the left and right sides of the omelette toward the center of the pan. Now roll the egg from the front of the pan towards the back and return the rolled egg to the front of the pan. Grease the pan again, then repeat the process until you’ve used the remaining egg. Then, follow the directions in the section above to shape the Dashimaki Tamago using a bamboo sushi mat.
Serve it With
Dashimaki Tamagoyaki is commonly served as part of a traditional Japanese breakfast, along with grated daikon radish, a bowl of rice, pickles, grilled fish, and miso soup. It can also be packed into a bento box for lunch along with onigiri, and side dishes such as kinpira gobo, and sesame spinach. More recently, people have been stuffing these Japanese omelettes into sandwiches where the bread can hide minor mistakes.
📖 Recipe
