Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Omelet) + Japanese Home Cooking #FantasticalFoodFight #FoodieReads

I love the Fantastical Food Fight coordinated by Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes. For more information about the event, click here.

I haven't been very good at participating, but for 2020, I am going to try to be better! Our theme for the month is: omelets.  Sarah wrote: "January is National Egg Month and I thought omelets would be an easy recipe for after the holidays (for those who celebrate)/winter break (for those with kids in school in the US)!"

Here's the line-up of omelets for the #FantasticalFoodFight bloggers...

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Japanese Home Cooking

I have always liked the sweet-savory of this Japanese rolled omelet. And I decided to give it a try and pulled my copy of Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking by Masahuru Morimoto* off the bookshelf.

Oddly, I do not think that I've ever written about this book. So, I'm adding in a brief bit about it and adding this to my #FoodieReads list for the year.

The photos in the book are vibrant and beautiful. And the book is organized logically from the foundations - dashi (stock), gohan (rice) - to similarly prepared dishes - yaku (to grill, broil, or sear), itame ru (to stir-fry) - all the way to gorgeous pickled extras in tsukeru (to pickle).

Chef Masaharu Morimoto, owner of the popular Morimoto restaurants (I have never had the pleasure, though I think the closest one to me is in Napa), aims to make Japanese cuisine accessible to the home cook. In Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking, he introduces readers to some surprisingly simple dishes that are big on flavor. He helps readers build a pantry necessary to create Japanese food at home and he provides helpful instructions on turning those ingredients into wonderful meals.

I will admit that Japanese cuisine is something that I most often leave to the experts. We have a favorite Japanese restaurant and I haven't had the need to really delve into Japanese recipes. Whenever any of us is in the mood for Japanese, we just head to Ocean Sushi and our friend Shiho takes care of all our cravings! But, with this cookbook, permanently stationed on my kitchen counter, I am bolstered and think: I can do it!

Tamagoyaki

Japanese Rolled Omelet serves 4
very slight adapted from Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking

So, I gave it a go with a little bit of guidance from Morimoto's book. The omelet was a hit though my entire crew complained about it being cool. I'll try it warm, but I think that it holds its shape better when cold. Thoughts?

Ahhh...on second read, it was supposed to be warm. Next time. Also, note that I don't have a traditional tamagoyaki pan. My Scanpan Professional Griddle was sufficient.*

Ingredients

• 1/4 C fish stock
• 2 t organic granulated sugar
• 1 t flake salt
• 1 t soy sauce
• 6 large eggs
• 1 to 2 T oil
• black sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Procedure 

Combine the stock, sugar, salt, and soy sauce in a mixing bowl and stir until the sugar has just dissolved. Whisk the eggs into the mixture and beat until well-combined.

Preheat your pan over medium heat. Let it get hot for a few minutes. Swirl oil over the surface until it is shiny.

Pour one-third of the egg mixture into the pan and swirl to get a thin layer. Use chopsticks or a spatula to push any egg down that stick to the sides. Pop any bubbles with your chopsticks and cook until it just sets, approximately 30 seconds.

Gently use chopsticks to roll the omelet from one end to the other, leaving most of the pan clear.

Pour another third of the egg mixture into the pan, slightly lifting the cooked eggs so that the raw eggs runs beneath it. Cook until the raw egg has set, again, approximately 30 seconds.

Repeat one more time until the egg mixture has been used. Once you have your roll, place the omelet into a clean kitchen towel and roll gently. Let the omelet cool slightly and set into the cylindrical shape.

Transfer the omelet to a cutting board.

And slice it crosswise into 3/4" thick slices.  Serve warm. 

Garnish with black sesame seeds, if using.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.

Click to see what everyone else read in January 2020: here.