Rikumo Recipe: Breakfast Tamagoyaki

Tamagoyaki is a classic Japanese recipe and a recent favorite of ours during the busy holiday season. A bento box staple in Japan, tamagoyaki is a type of Japanese omelette made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg combined with soy sauce and mirin. Traditionally this treat is prepared in a square pan so that its edges are easier to fold. It's a simple recipe that can be enjoyed for breakfast or lunch, and once you have the technique down it can be whipped up surprisingly quickly.

This holiday season we bring you our favorite tamagoyaki recipe, cooked by Jeanne, one of our retail assistants (and tamago enthusiast). Though we've kept the recipe simple, we recommend throwing in a few extra flavors like mushrooms or peppers if you'd like to make it your own. Happy cooking!

Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tbs. sugar (we used brown sugar for ours!)
- 1 tsp. mirin
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. soy sauce (we like Kamada’s Dashi Soy Sauce)
- Cooking oil 

Equipment
- Small square non-stick frying pan, like our Nakamura Copper Square Pan.  
-Spatula or chopsticks, to fold the tamagoyaki. 

Instructions

1. Heat up pan on medium-low heat.
2. Beat all ingredients together with a fork or chopsticks (not a whisk; you don't want the mixture to get foamy).

3. Brush heated pan with a little oil, and pour in about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture, tilting the pan to coat evenly.
4. Cook gently until the egg is almost set on top but not runny. As it cooks, carefully roll the mixture's far edge up towards you, using a pair of chopsticks or a spatula.

5. Keep the rolled omelet in the pan and push it back against the farthest side, leaving the rest of the pan clear.
6. Re-oil the empty part of the pan, and pour in more egg mixture, lifting up the first roll with chopsticks and letting the egg mixture run underneath.

 7. As it begins to set, roll the tamagoyaki into the first roll to make a single roll with another layer. 
8. Repeat until all the mixture is used up, continuing to lift and roll up within the pan. 
9. Remove from heat and lay rolled tamagoyaki across a sushi mat or cutting board. Cut into even pieces and serve. 
 

WORDS BY MAGALI ROMAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS SETTY
COOKING BY JEANNE O'SHELL