- 4 eggs (note 1)
- 4 tbsp dashi stock (note 2)
- ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp sake
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1½ tbsp oil with a small piece of paper towel soaked in
- 2 tbsp grated daikon (white radish)
-
Gently beat eggs in a bowl or a large measuring cup, trying to cut the egg white into small chunks but do not beat hard (note 3).
-
Add all the ingredients except oil into the bowl/measuring cup and mix until sugar is dissolved.
-
Place a non-stick frypan (note 4) or a tamagoyaki pan over medium low to medium heat and oil using the oil-soaked paper towel as if you are wiping the pan so that the amount of oil is not excessive.
-
When the frypan and oil is heated up (note 5), pour about 1/5 of the egg mixture into the pan. The egg should start cooking straight away and you should see some bubbles lifting the surface of the egg.
-
Poke the large bubbles to flatten using chopsticks or the edge of a spatula.
-
When the surface of the egg starts drying but is still half wet, fold the both sides of the egg sheet inwards using a spatula so that the sides are straight instead of round (frypan only). Use a spatula to roll the egg starting from the furthest end from you. Place the spatula underneath the egg about 1.5cm (½”) into the egg, then lift and flip towards you. It will fold with about 1.5cm (½”) width.
-
Repeat to roll the rest using the first fold as the core of the roll until the egg roll shifts to the end of the frypan closest to you.
-
Tidy up the rolled egg using the spatula so that the width of the egg is even (note 6).
-
Lightly oil the farthest end part of the frypan using the oiled paper towel. Slide the egg to the farthest end of the frypan and oil the rest of the frypan lightly.
-
Pour 1/5 of the original egg mixture amount to the frypan. Do not pour the egg mixture over the cooked egg roll but lift the egg roll slightly so that the new egg mixture goes underneath it.
-
Repeat steps 5 to 10 until the egg mixture is used up (note 7), ending with step 8.
-
Transfer the egg to a cutting board (note 8). Slice it or dice it and place the pieces on serving plates.
-
Squeeze excess water out of grated daikon, add it next to the egg slices and serve.
1. I used small eggs and total weight not including shells was just over 200g (7oz).
If your eggs are very large, the total weigh could go close to 50% more than what I had. Then please adjust the other ingredients, accordingly.
Slight variations to the total weight of eggs should not require adjustment.
2. Please refer to my post, Home Style Japanese Dashi Stock.
3. Move chopsticks or a fork sideways in the egg to beat the egg instead of using a whipping action. Ensure that egg whites are broken down into smaller bits.
4. I used 23cm (9") frypan which has the bottom size of 19cm (7½") in diameter. Any larger than this will make a flatter dashimaki tamago as the egg will spread wide and thin.
If the frypan is smaller you will need to add smaller quantity of egg at a time so that each layer of egg is not too thick. Small pan will make a thicker dashimaki tamago.
5. Drop a tiny amount of the egg in and if the egg cooks gently, making a sizzling noise, the frypan is ready (about 180C/356F). If the egg cooks instantaneously, the temperature of the frypan is too high.
6. It is important to shape the first roll with even width otherwise you will end up with deformed rectangular dashimaki tamago. You could also gently press down the egg roll using the spatula if the surface is uneven.
7. Until you are used to making dashimaki tamago, I would recommend using a measuring cup for the egg mixture so that you can cook the same amount of egg mixture each time. It is important to cover the entire frypan with the egg when poured.
8. If the shape of the dashimaki tamago is uneven, you could correct the shape while it is still hot. Place a baking paper over the egg and use both hands to hold and press to shape it (see the step-by-step photo below).
If you have a bamboo mat which is used to make sushi rolls, then you could place the dashimaki tamago on it and warp it to shape. This will make a dashimaki tamago with round corners.