Sweet yet savory, Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette), makes a delightful Japanese breakfast or side dish for your bento lunches.
Tamagoyaki (卵焼き or 玉子焼き) is a Japanese rolled omelette, and it is commonly served as part of Japanese style breakfast or put in a bento (Japanese lunch box) as a side dish.
What you may not know is that when dashi is added to the egg mixture, the dish is actually called Dashimaki Tamago. (出し巻き卵). Dashi is the Japanese stock made of kombu (edible kelp) and Katsuobushi (smoked bonito flakes), maki in Japanese means to roll, and tamago means eggs.
Tamagoyaki is Japanese rolled omelette with dashi and soy sauce, enjoyed during Japanese breakfast or as a bento item.
Watch How To Make Tamagoyaki 玉子焼きの作り方
Tamagoyaki is Japanese rolled omelette with dashi and soy sauce, enjoyed during Japanese breakfast or as a bento item.
Difference with Tamagoyaki and Dashimaki Tamago
The big differences between these two rolled omelettes include the flavors, texture, and how difficult it is to make these rolled omelette.
Flavors for Tamagoyaki
Tamagoyaki is often seasoned with soy sauce and sugars, but nothing can beat the flavor of dashi. Dashi is very simple to make, but umami-rich kombu and katsuobushi gives this stock wonderful rich flavors without overpowering the other ingredients. By adding dashi to the egg mixture, the egg gets nice umami boost and dashimaki tamago has much deep, complex flavors than regular Tamagoyaki.
Texture
When dashi is added to the egg mixture, the liquid gets thinner. Hence, the resulting texture for final dashimaki tamago is more refined and it has finer texture than Tamagoyaki. It’s also juicier due to the higher liquid content in the egg mixture. When sushi restaurants and diners in Japan make their own dashimaki tamago, they make it with more dashi in the egg mixture. As a result, it’s difficult for dashimaki tamago to keep the rectangular shape and often it’s flatter and a little de-formed. But the taste is really amazing!
Difficulty in Making
Last but not least, you may wonder how difficult it is to make tamagoyaki or dashimaki tamago. For tamagoyaki, the egg mixture is thin out with a little bit of liquid seasonings, so it’s still manageable and pretty easy to handle when you roll out the egg.
However, when you make dashimaki tamago, the amount of dashi added along with liquid seasonings makes the egg mixture into watery consistency. If you’ve never made this before, I highly recommend to start with tamagoyaki first, then add dashi to egg mixture and slowly increase the amount of dashi. In general, 1 tablespoon of dashi per egg is good ratio, but you can definitely add more when you become an expert.
My original recipe uses 4 tablespoon of dashi for 3 eggs, but I have changed my recipe for this updated version with 3 tablespoon of dashi so that it’s a tiny bit easier to make.
Purchase Tamagoyaki Pan or Not
Many of my readers had asked me if they can make this recipe with a round pan because it’s not easy to find a good quality tamagoyaki pan outside of Japan, and they can also be pricey.
My answer is yes you can, as long as you are not aiming for the classic tamagoyaki shape. I demonstrated and showed you how to do it in today’s recipe. A tamagoyaki pan definitely helps making the rolled omelette into a nice thick rectangular log shape; however, don’t worry, a round frying pan will work.
What Kind of Round Frying Pan?
I recommend using 9 or 10-inch non-stick frying pan for a thicker tamagoyaki. In the recipe below, I used my 12-inch pan which works as well.
As you can see with the result, it will be flatter when your frying pan is bigger. If you only have 12-inch pan, then you can solve the “flat” issue by doubling the recipe. If you don’t mind the particular shape, then don’t worry about it.
Now, if you’re concerned about non-stick coating, you can use a cast iron skillet. However, please remember that you will need to control the amount of heat by lifting the pan from the stove and a heavy skillet would be challenging.
I’ve tried using a stainless steel frying pan for tamagoyaki, but without adding a bit of oil, I haven’t been successful. Plus, I don’t like my tamagoyaki too oily.
In general, I refrain from using non-stick cookware, but it is easier to make with non-stick pan compared to stainless-steel or cast iron skillet.
If you don’t mind paying a little more for the pan, this copper tamagoyaki pan (nickel coating insinde) is a great choice. The copper transfers heat so easily, and the pan is very light that you can move the pan easily while cooking.
Helpful Tips for Making Tamagoyaki
Everyone has different cooking skills and this dish might require you to practice a little bit until you shape them perfectly, especially if you want to make dashimaki tamago. Here are a few helpful tips from me.
- Do not worry about first few rolls. The inner rolls do not need to be neat at all, as you will keep rolling more layers on top. The first few rolls are the center of the tamagoyaki, so even if the layers are not perfectly lined up, do not worry!
- Do not skip oiling the pan. I know you want to use less oil. Me too! However, make sure you coat the pan with oil very well. You don’t want your egg mixture to stick on the pan – even for non-stick pan.
- Wait till the pan is completely heat up. Test the temperature of the pan with the small amount of the egg mixture. You need to see the egg sizzle to confirm the pan is hot enough.
- Don’t turn off the heat; instead move the pan away from the heat source. Keep your heat at medium heat all times. Thin omelette layer needs to be quickly rolled up before it’s completely cooked, so there is no time for you to adjust the heat. The best way to control the heat is to move the pan closer and away from the stove.
- Flip the omelette toward you while you lift up the pan. It’s easier to see what I mean in the video, but you probably need the upward motion to roll the heavy thick roll of omelette (toward the end).
Too difficult? It requires some practice, but if you want to take a short cut, try this Quick & Easy Tamagoyaki recipe. You can make it in 3 minutes! It’s perfect to make just one tamagoyaki for your meal or bento box!
I hope you enjoy making Tamagoyaki or Dashimaki Tamago recipe! If you try it, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook. Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!
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- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- 1½ nori (seaweed) (optional)
- 1 inch daikon radish (1" = 2.5 cm) (green part is sweeter than white part)
- Soy sauce
Gather all the ingredients.
- Gently whisk the eggs in a bowl. It's best to "cut" the eggs with chopsticks in zig-zag motion and do not over mix it.
- In another bowl, combine the seasonings and mix well.
- Pour the seasonings mixture into the egg mixture and whisk gently. Then pour the mixture into a measuring cup with spout and handle (so that it'll be easier to pour into the frying pan).
- Heat the pan over medium heat, dip a folded paper towel in oil and apply to the pan. Put a little bit of egg mixture to see if the pan is hot.
- When you hear the sizzling sound, pour a thin layer of egg mixture in the pan, tilting to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Poke the air bubbles to release the air. After the bottom of the egg has set but still soft on top, start rolling into a log shape from one side to the other.
- Move the rolled omelette to the side where you started to roll, and apply oil to the pan with a paper towel, even under the omelette.
- Pour the egg mixture to cover the bottom of the pan again. Make sure to lift the omelette to spread the mixture underneath.
- When the new layer of egg has set and still soft on top, start rolling from one side to the other.
- Move the rolled omelette to the side where you started to roll, and apply oil to the pan with a paper towel, even under the omelette.
- Pour the egg mixture to cover the bottom of the pan again. Make sure to lift the omelette to spread the mixture underneath.
- When the new layer of egg has set and still soft on top, start rolling from one side to the other.
- Now this is 3rd round. Poke the air bubbles...
- The 4th round. Make sure to spread all over including under the rolled egg.
- Continue rolling into the log.
- This is 5th round.
- This is 6th round and final...
- You can brown the omelette a little bit.
- Remove from the pan and place the omelette on the bamboo mat and wrap it up. Shape the egg when it is still hot. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Heat the pan over medium heat, dip a folded paper towel in oil and apply to the pan. Put a little bit of egg mixture to see if the pan is hot. When you hear the sizzling sound, pour a thin layer of egg mixture in the pan, tilting to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Poke the air bubbles to release the air. After the bottom of the egg has set but still soft on top, start rolling into a log shape from one side to the other. Here I put half sheet of nori and then rolled (optional).
- Move the rolled omelette to the side where you started to roll, and apply oil to the pan with a paper towel, even under the omelette. Pour the egg mixture to cover the bottom of the pan again. Make sure to lift the omelette to spread the mixture underneath.
- When the new layer of egg has set and still soft on top, start rolling from one side to the other. This is optional but I put another layer of nori sheet before rolling.
- Move the rolled omelette to the side where you started to roll, and apply oil to the pan with a paper towel, even under the omelette. Then pour the egg mixture to cover the bottom of the pan again. Make sure to lift the omelette to spread the mixture underneath.
- When the new layer of egg has set and still soft on top, start rolling from one side to the other. I put another sheet of nori here before rolling. Continue until all the egg mixture is finished.
- Remove from the pan and place the omelette on the bamboo mat and wrap it up. Shape the egg when it is still hot. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Slice the omelette into 1/2" (1 cm) pieces.
- Peel and grate daikon. Gently squeeze water out. Serve Tamagoyaki with grated daikon and pour soy sauce over daikon.
Control the temperature of the pan by lifting the frying pan rather than adjusting the stove heat. If the heat is too weak, the egg will stick to the frying pan so be careful.
Equipment you will need:
- Tamagoyaki frying pan (or a around 9" or 10" non-stick frying pan)
- Long cooking chopsticks
- bamboo sushi mat
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
16The original recipe was published in March 2012.
That looks like a piece of art! Seriously I can’t even make a decent omelet and here you are making something so pretty! And how you cook with chopstick .. I will never know!
What a fabulous recipe. I’ve never eaten a rolled omelette but after looking at the process I really really want to try it. Thanks for the step by step pictures Nami! 🙂
hehe…I always wonder how these are made! Now I know. Thanks for sharing the video and your picture tutorial. I must say, yours came out much prettier than the one in the video. 😛 Seems like it’s a bit of a workout “flipping” the egg during the cooking process.
I love a new egg recipe. This looks great! And I meant to tell you, I found daikon radishes here!!! I’ll be pouring over your recipes to decide how to use them first!
I always order these when my boyfriend and I go out for sushi. Now I’ll have to try my hand at them once I buy that nifty pan!
This is a super-super-super omelette… I love it! I didn’t know this pan (never saw it in Italy), so today I learned something new 🙂
Love this omelette, Nami, especially rolled like this and your step-by-step is so beautifully illustrated that it’s so inspirational to try this at home!
Nami, that looks amazing. I bet it tastes better when cooked in the correct pan, they say you eat with your eyes! I’d love one of those, I bet even a simple spanish omelette would look fab cooked to that shape.
That, I cannot do so because it needs a lot of patience to do all those layers. It looks very good and beautiful Nami! Is that pan Japanese? Never saw one like that before.
I like it and I even have the rectangle pan, but I just add soy sauce and dashi to the egg, never sugar and mirin, for me it would be too sweet. I can eat the real one if I go out, but couldn’t bear to add more sugar to my diet at home (i.e. if I put it in savory dishes too it would be too much! :-)). It still comes out very good!
Ciao
Alessandra
PS
did you see the bento I made yesterday?
Hi Nami, I love eggs and this tamagoyaki is so pretty and looks so delicious. My stomach is growling after looking at the photos… gotta make some soon! 😉
Hi Nami,
This looks so yummy! I have never had an omelette that is rolled so many times over, it just looks so delicate and soft. It has a lovely texture. I love your step by step method with pictures. Easy to understand and follow.
Would love to eat this not just for breakfast but anytime.
Oh..it would take me ages to learn to roll it so nicely 🙂
One of the best egg dishes ever. The best thing about tamago is its sweetness. That sets it apart other omelettes. You make perfect tam ago, Nami.
what an interesting recipe, Nami, I really enjoyed that! we have just started having cheese omlettes for supper again, and it’s my husband’s job to do it. I will show him this fascinating recipe.
That is awesome! I do want to try this and I know it will take many attempts to get it right, but I’m willing to try. At least we can eat the mistakes. Beautiful work Nami!
You’ve done it so well as it turned out so pretty and delicate looking! I think i’ll make a mess out of it and am sure there’ll be lots of holes in mine! hahaha
Nami, this is such a cool technique!! I’ve had this at sushi restaurants before but never realized what went into making it. I can’t wait to give this a go. My husband will love it!
Yay, finally your tamagoyaki post is up…:D)!! So sorry for being so slack in commenting in the past few weeks, my job has somehow taken its toll on me, but now I can relax a little bit as I have Easter holiday coming up :). Like Alessandra, I don’t usually add sugar (and just a little bit of mirin), since I don’t really like the taste of sweet omelet. Your tamagoyaki looks beautiful just like your other dishes :). Have a great weekend, Nami!
This is a really great tutorial, Nami! I love the pan that you used. This is great!
Looks wonderful. I have seen this on youtube a couple of times, but never thought someone could recreate this at home. Looks absolutely perfect! Hats off to your patience and skill 🙂
ありがとうございました！おいしそうです。：）I cannot wait to try to make it!
Nami what a beautiful dish!! That omelet pan is awesome. 🙂 I first thought it was just one omelet rolled out… but you roll it several times. How cool! Really well done and give your hubby a hug for his step by step photos too. I really got a good idea how to do it from them.
Nami, how did you know I’m looking for this recipe? lol! Your tamagoyaki is perfectly done!! Do you think I can do it with just a round pan? I got to try it no matter what. 😉
Amazing that you make this dish with chop sticks most of us would have trouble using a spatula :). Your photos are so much better than the video, great post and fun for Easter.
Your step by step photos are so helpful! In recipes like this it’s impossible for people like me to understand it unless there are photos with it. Thank you Nami. You make Japanese food less mysterious to people!
The tutorial was fascinating Nami, I have never seen an omelet made like this before!
🙂 Mandy
This looks really amazing, and very interesting method of preparing it. A sweet savoury pancake.
So pretty! I’m coveting that omelette pan and I love your step by step instructions;-)
Great tutorial, and what a pretty omelette. I’ll never look at eggs the same way again!
What an interesting technique! I feel like I have to try it soon!
Nami, this is so cool. I love you step by step and you make it look so easy, but I know that it’s not I think I would have a mess. This is wonderful and your photos are amazing.
During my stay in Japan, I always wondered how it could be possible to cook such beautiful and delicious omelettes …And I never dared to ask ! ^^
Thank you for the recipe !
This is beautiful Nami, now I know how to really use my pan. Being a bento box maker I did learn how to make tamagoyaki, but they never turned out like this. I only made the one pour ones. Thanks for sharing your technique and good instructions.
Oh Nami, I’ve made this before but it was too sweet because of too much sugar added. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe 🙂
Yes, I had this before, on top of sushi:D I didn’t know it involved so much work cooking it!
Looks so delicious!
Your omelette looks like it could give the French omelette a run for the money. At first sight, I thought it was a soft sponge cake. Perfectly made and presented. I would love to be served that for this Easter!
なみちゃん、私卵焼き作るの、上手じゃないです。これを見て勉強します。もうすぐ日本だね。ああー私も行きた～い！Have a nice trip to Japan!
Very nice post Nami! I’ll have to try this out soon. As an aside, I’m very excited because I was able to understand nipponnin’s post above! I’m studying Japanese and progress is slow but rewarding and fun. My translation as I understood it:
“Nami-chan, the tamagoyaki I made isn’t good. I’ll watch and study this [the video above]. [Your trip to] Japan is very soon, right? Ohhh, I want to go too!”
Not sure if I got that completely right…but I think it is close?
Your website is great and I’m learning a lot about Japanese cooking.
Hi Amber! Yes your translation is perfect! I’m happy to hear you enjoy my blog. 🙂
日本語がんばってくださいね！おうえんしてます！
Wow, Nami – that is amazing and the pictures are so helpful. I can’t believe the amount of work that goes into making this, but the result in fantastic… Love this!
That omelette pan is so cool–I had a chance to work with one once in a cooking class and it makes preparing this so much easier. Gorgeous omelette–the tiny bit of sweet makes this so good!
Hi, I’m visiting your blog after that lovely comment you left on Courtney’s blog. This omelete looks a-ma-zing!!! I love the pic tutorial as well. I’m definitely going to be over here more often. Thanks for sharing,
Jackie
Galexi Cupcakes
Unbelievable technique Nami!!! I’m so excited, I’m going to try it this week!
Congratulations my friend!
I’ve made these in my round omelette pan to slice up and put into a breakfast sushi roll (crispy bacon, tamagoyaki and slice avocado) but it’s nice to see it made in the traditional rectangular pan. And you omelette seems so light and fluffy.
This reminds me of a roulade but way more dense and compact! I know I would LOVE the texture!
I love tamagoyaki and I didn’t know that it’s not that complicated to make.Thanks for sharing this Nami!
This is one of my FAVORITE Japanese dish!! I used to eat this every week when I was living in Singapore. It’s not as easy to find here in LA, I think. The ones in Singapore came with bonito flakes and okonomiyaki sauce. 🙂
Very cool technique! Looking at the first two layers, I was wondering how they became those beautiful rolls in the other photos. Very interesting to see how it comes together.
卵焼き、、だ〜〜〜い好きです！
お弁当とかにはかかせない一品ですよね。
今度帰国する時に、この卵焼きフライパンを買って帰ろうと思っています
今持っているのが、かなり古くなっているので
新品が欲しい〜〜〜
それと天ぷらのコツ、ありがとうございました
This is really nice!!! I wanted to know how to make this!
What a super cool technique! I love the pictures to help me figure out how you make this. I really have to try this. You have a handful of awards waiting for you on my blog. Have a wonderful weekend!
That is absolutely lovely! The step-by-step pictures made perfect sense! Thank you for sharing…this is really incredible!
interesting and neat looks wonderful
one thing I like Japanese food is even it using a very simple basic ingredients, it treated like an art 🙂
I love the sweetness of this omelette! And good to know that you don’t need the special pan. Thanks for the detailed instructions Nami! 😀
Beautiful!!!!
I am absolutely in love with this…
Thanks for the video, I am so trying this tmrw…
Hope I can manage this well….
Totemo Oishii desu! This is one of my absolute favorite dishes from living in Japan. I love your adorable little pan. What a great hubby for helping with the photos! How perfect is that! Happy Early Easter to you too!!!! Ja Mata, BAM
Wow! I am amazed by how perfect your tamagoyaki looks! I have never even tried doing it (no special pan) and have always been convinced it was the most complicated dish in the Japanese cuisine (apart from high quality sushi). So you say I can really make it in a normal pan? I wonder how many times you practiced it to obtain such perfect results… Congratulations!
So THAT’S how it’s done…brilliant!! Love it!!
Hi Nami, This technique is just super. Tamagoyaki looks so pretty!!
Your cooking techniques always amaze me! I would love to spend the day in your kitchen watching how you do everything. So cool. This sounds delicious! Hope you have a great weekend 🙂
The step by step is awesome and that little pan is the best!
I cant go to sushi with out ending with this. Literally can not- LOL. I’ve been debating buying that pan so i could make this at home. So many tools to have!
wow…u done this perfectly. n the pics r very clean n cool.
Maha
Very intriguing adding sugar to the omelette! It looks very tasty and I am keeping this to try!
Oh man. Want. I so want this for breakfast tomorrow morning! Do the eggs say warm through the ‘sitting’ and slicing process? Amazing recipe, darling! And I totally have pan envy 😉
omg….iam in plan to do this..u know 4m a long time iam post poning it…urs luks simply awesoem..thanx 4 step by step pics.vl try this nw.
maha
This is so delicate and so pretty! I’m very sure I couldn’t roll mine as perfectly as you did. That is the best pan, I love it!
One of my favorite maki is tamago! Thanks for sharing how to make this omelette! I love the step by steps… I feel like even I could make this! 😀
Hi Nami – this looks amazing – I’ve always been curious as to how they’ve been making these omelettes because they seem so fine compared to the ones I’m used to. It’s just so cool that there are special pans too, haha! I’m curious though… why does the mixture need to be strained? I can’t imagine there is so much in it that won’t just go through the sieve, no?
Hi Charles! It’s for very smooth texture. After you strain it, you will see some solid things from the egg and it helps the texture to be more refined. If you have Tamagoyaki, you know it has very silky texture. It’s very important that you strain at least once. You will know when you see what’s left in the sieve. We don’t overmix in the beginning, so it is very important process. 🙂
Nami, this looks fabulous! I love your step by step instructions, you make it look so easy.
What a wonderful concept! So great for eating on the run! Love this Nami! Sounds wonderful!
I love the process of making it! A simple dish turned into something elegant which is very Japanese. I think I saw some of those pans over here.
I love tamagoyaki(: it just looks so elegant. I made it before in a round pan, so it wasn’t as beautiful, had to cut away the edges (no rpoblem though, it went straight into my mouth haha).
Nami!! You did it again!!! You made my mouth water at 3am!! haha.. I love tamogoyaki!! So cute and so Japanese! Eggs are great by themselves but seasoning always makes them taste even better!!
This is an amazing tutorial! Nice to come in here and learn about how these omelettes are made. This is the best presentation I have seen for this egg dish. Also, I like that this special pan is not a requirement. The other bonus is that there is a seasoning in the egg batter, not just something placed on top and rolled up. These must taste amazing!
Oh wow, this is so cool. One of my best friend absolutely loves this, she always orders some nigiri with omelette when we go out for having sushi. But we never made this ourselves on one of our home sushi evenings so far. We shall give this a try! 😀
This is beautiful! I have never seen nor heard of this, but even though I don’t have the correct pan, I know I need to try making this!
that is a very helpful tutorial Nami!! I know it is tricky to get it right and it helps to show the video and step by step photos! Nicely done.
Oh Nami, that tutorial with the video is great. I can’t flip the way you did. I find this the best.
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This is amazing! What an absolutely beautiful outcome and of a very involved process. Your pictures as well as the video were extremely helpful in showing how this omelette is made, by oh my goodness – what a process! I don’t know if I would have enough patience to do this! AND, I know for a fact, with my chopstick skills, I’d end up with scrambled eggs. 🙂 I do love the egg mixture and would love to have some of this omelette! I might just have to try making an easy western omelet but with the same ingredients. Great post! Very educational!
Okay, that square omelette pan is pretty neat and I would never have thought that that’s how tamagoyaki is made. Very easy and no mess. So cool, Nami!
Your tamagoyaki look so smooth and soft – just beautiful, Nami!
The texture the bamboo mat is giving the surface makes it look extra pretty and the whole process (and look) reminds me a little bit of Baumkuchen. 😉
Cheers,
Tobias
What an artistic looking omelet! Beautiful Nami as usual 🙂
Wow, these slices of omelet are gorgeous, Nami! Your food styling is wonderful as always. Hope you’ve had a nice weekend, my friend!
You know, I’ve been making this kind of omelette for sushi I guess for years now, but seeing your step-by-step recipe, just realized I was doing it all wrong… hence mine never looked as good as yours. Will try this next time with sushi 🙂
I love this recipe very much,can’t wait to try,thank for sharing this Amazing post 🙂
Great how-to shots. You inspire me to try my hand at making this finally. 😉
Oh Nami! This is the prettiest omelette I have ever seen!!! 🙂 I am sure it also tastes delicious!
Ah! I’ve never thought Tamagoyaki requires such few ingredients. The ones they serve at restaurants can taste a bit plasticky sometimes, so I’d go for your homemade ones anytime! The egg rolling does look like a delicate process though:)
Lovely pictures, Nami and what a wonderful way to present a simple recipe like this..
as I mentioned on google+… that looks awesome, love the idea of rolled in omletts. It hadnt come into my mind. I need a bamboomat. so fun to watch your step by step rolling in with chopsticks. I want to try next!
OMG OMG OMG! You don’t know how excited I am to see this recipe Nami 🙂 Mr Bao LOVES Tamagoyaki!!! We got one of those tamago pans but never really knew how to use it 🙂 but now we do thanks to your step by step photos! I really hope I’d be able to make these tamagoyaki properly… I really want to impress Mr Bao at least Once lol Thanks for sharing!
What an awesome technique Nami! I absolutely love rolled omelettes, but must say that this one looks even more delicate and beautiful than any I have had! You are so talented and never cease to amaze me. 🙂
Oh! I have seen these pans at Don Quijote! And I love tamagoyaki but never thought to make them. I’m inspired to try this now! Thanks, Nami!
I can NEVER pull off such beautiful and delicate omelette 😀
Wow – this is impressive! I am not a huge egg eater, but looks good!
This is wonderful! I’ve eaten this before, but never knew how it was made – now I do. I’m going to have to practice my chopstick technique! The detailed photos are a real plus to this recipe – great step-by-step instructions. Really nice post – thanks so much.
Love these, Nami! I can hardly make a beautiful omelette myself, so I know this will be very hard for me to make, but I love the idea. It’s so elegant and pretty – perfect for brunch.
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what a great recipe Nami! I’ve had tamagoyaki a few times and I am a fan. I was wondering how these perfectly shaped omelettes were made then you revealed the secret cooking pan here. Interestingly though there is also a similar Chinese dish where minced meat or seafood is rolled inside of egg omelettes. But tamagoyaki definitely comes out a lot pretty. Thanks for sharing the recipe and that video link.
Those step by step pictures are super useful. I have wanted to try tamagoyaki for a while when someone suggested I treat myself to traditional pan for them (annd they were a major part of a manga I read recently!). Must try! Thank you so much for the pictures and recipe 😀
Hello Nami,
I love this recipe and it is totally new to me. My kids love eggs and I think they will love the rectangular omlette
Do you think it will work wothout the mirin?
Yes you can omit mirin. If you want to make it sweeter, you can add sugar instead. 🙂
It’s so beautiful, like egg art:) Thanks for doing the step-by-step photos, they are always very helpful. Great post Nami!
Hi Nami, I hope you are having a great time at Japan! I bought the rectangular pan years ago, not knowing what it’s purpose is, just thought it’s adorable and I had to have it. Who knew it’s for making tamagos! Thank you for the step by step photos, Trinity and I LOVE ordering tamago rolls when we go to Japanese restaurants, now I know how to make them myself!
These are fantastic, and so beautiful! Love the tutorial and step by step as well 🙂
I love that rectangle pan 😀 its so cute!! This looks delish 🙂
Oh wow! I love tamago but never realized the process it can be (though I’m sure when you get it down it goes lightening fast). Thanks for the step by step
Wow, love it Nami. I have to try it. Searched for substitute for mirin, can I use white vinegar with some sugar added to it? Thanks Nami…
You can just omit it and it’s still okay. You can add a little sugar but you don’t even have to. 🙂
looks so good! like a work of art!
omg. i thought making the indian snack ‘khandvi’ was complicated because of spreading batter & rolling real quick. but looking at this, especially after seeing how you work with chopsticks, add so many layers and need so much patience – everything else seems easier 😀
i think i’m on your blog for the first time today …. hi! 🙂
I am back… just to tell you… there’s something waiting for you here: http://www.manusmenu.com/rotisserie-potatoes (PS: I know you are busy, so don’t worry about passing it on, but I really wanted to pass it to you! <3)
This is great!!! I made it for my three year old daughter (who is the pickiest eater in the world) and she loved it! I just left out the mirin for her. Made a little bento box for her lunch! Thanks!!
Thank you for the nice recipe!
My mom used to make this for me and of course she didn’t have a recipe on hand so I never could recreate it. But your step-by-step photos are incredibly helpful. I can’t wait to make one of my favorite childhood dishes!
Hi Nami – this is such an interesting post. I love that pan!
Thank you for the step by steps, it really made it clear how to make this pretty egg dish.
Hope you are enjoying your vacation. Safe travels.
L
Another favourite of Mr Scandi Foodie! 😉 Yours looks much prettier than what I’ve ever made for him though! 🙂
I checked 3 times but still couldn’t find my comment left earlier, i rememberd i left comment, strange it went missing..This is a recipe that i wanted to learn, Thanks for sharing Nami.
These look so pretty and delicious! I am amazed how you cook with just a pair of chop-sticks!! Thanks for the step by step tutorial.
Hi Nami, it’s been a bit busy so I’ve only just gotten around to catching up on all your lovely posts – this tamagoyaki recipe is great and the photos are really good! I was always curious what the technique for this was. It’s now April and from memory you’ll be in Japan so if you’re already there, I hope you are having a wonderful time and eating lots of wonderful food! 🙂
I love tamagoyaki! I have the same pan that I use to make from time to time! 🙂
Hi Nami, I’m Pille from Nami-Nami 🙂 I had my first go on dashimaki tamago yesterday, and I was quite happy with the result (even though I had to use a regular round frying pan). I’ll try your tamagoyaki next time!!
nami,i was wondering about making this and putting a sheet of nori over the flat omelet each time before rolling it up. Do you think this could work, meaning, do you think you would have nice clean black lines when you cut it into slices? I’m sure the nori will soften as it sits in the warm moist roll, but i don’t really care about that. I was thinking of doing this for the nori flavor and for the eye appeal. But what do you think? Thanks much,nami.
Hi Mindy! Yes, it will work. Nori is one of common ingredient that we put in between. My mom has put spinach etc in between too. Nori will be rectangular swirl inside the egg. Good luck! 🙂
Hi Nami! I’ve been looking through your new recipes.. and saw this post! I love this! We have something similar in Korea, too and it’s one of my favorites. So easy and simple to fix. Love your technique. I will have to try your way sometime! Thanks for sharing!
I have an older, more shallow tamagoyaki pan and it is sticking so I’m using a regular skillet but the one you have looks very nice. I’m in SF and looked for the pan in your photo at several Asian/Japanese stores but only found the one I already have. Do they sell the deep non-stick one you are using in the U.S.?
Hi Jane,
I have seen the kind you have. If you put a lot of oil and still stick to it, probably not a good pan. Make sure to put oil when pan is nicely heated, not when it’s cold.
My mom brought my pan (T-Fal) from Japan… I found it here: http://en.bentoandco.com/products/tamagoyaki-pan-japanese-omelet
Forgot how much it was sold in Japan but its not like $10-20 for sure.
Did you check Mitsuwa in San Jose?
From the website, do you recommend the Sanjo or Aka? Which brand is your pan?
I checked the site and I don’t see any T-Fal pan on this site anymore… Mine is T-Fal brand. I have never heard or used both brands so I’m not sure… seems a bit pricy for non-famous brand (and I think this site is a bit overpriced). 🙁
Now that I have seen these Japanese Omelets in your Bento box series, I am even more intrigued as I already was. I have seen these omelets being made before and I saw these specialty pans in my favorite Asian market before wondereing whether I should get one – now that I have plans for getting more efficient with my Gyozo making, why not buy one of these pans too and finally improve my Asina cooking techniques a bit. It looks so delicious!
Dear Nami,
I’m making tamagoyaki for a presentation at my school. The only problem is, I can’t find any mirin, OR mirin-style substitute! Do you have any suggestions for a NON-ALCOHOLIC substitute for mirin?
The chef-in-training,
Crystal
Hi Crystal! You can replace mirin with sugar. Tamagoyaki has sweet flavor, so you need to add sugar. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, the video made it quite easy, although the rolling will take a few more times to master
Hi Otis! It was hard to explain in words, so I thought the video might be more helpful. I’ve been making tamagoyaki for years, yet I still have hard time making a perfect one when I don’t make it for a while. 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
First attempt didn’t turn out that great. Tastes all right but doesn’t look like the picture lol. I didn’t have a tamagoyaki pan so used a loaf tin and a pair of vice grips for a handle worked a treat but the high sides made flipping it difficult.
Hi Matt! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I’ve been making tamagoyaki from high school and I still struggle to make a picture perfect (most of time it’s just alright).
I’m not sure about using a loaf tin and I recommend you to use a regular (round) frying pan. It has to be non-stick. Also, until you get used to the technique, you can make tamagoyaki easier without dashi stock. Dashi stock makes the egg mixture thinner and it’s more difficult to roll. You can add a bit of dashi stock (or even little bit of water) to thin out the mixture, but thicker egg mixture will be definitely easier to handle. You can start adding more dashi stock once you are used to it. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Nami…many congratulations on a wonderful website…looking very good and the recipes look amazing too.
I am back but with a different website..notjustashopper – where we are now designing and making stoles, jewellery and bags in the frist phase…the blog will talk about all things nice and about food, of course…
hope to see you and have a great 2013
What is the brand of the tamagoyaki pan you’re using? They sell some in Japan Town where I’m from, but I don’t think they’re good quality. I’d like to buy one online but I have no idea of knowing whether they’re okay or not.
I use a T-Fal brand Tamagoyaki pan (I put the Japanese amazon link in the recipe). I’ve bought 2 tamagoyaki pan here but both of them weren’t that great. Maybe if I put more oil…that might have helped but I didn’t want to… You can use a regular non-stick frying pan too, but you need more eggs and you need to cut off the edge more to make it square shape (but I don’t mind that part for home use). Hope this helps!
Hi! I was looking for this recipe a lot, cuz my teacher said it had “mirin” on it and I just couldnt find one lol you are really good at explaining and cooking! Thank you very much for your blog =] I’ll come back when I’ve tried to make mine tamagoyaki ^^
Thank you Karina! I’m glad to hear you found my recipes helpful. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this tamagoyaki!
This is a great recipe. works perfectly in my small omelette pan. the dashi is the key.
Thank you!
Thank you Jason! 🙂
I tried making Tamagoyaki before and always without success UNTIL NOW!!! Your instructions and recipe were so easy to follow and the result was AMAZING! So scrumptious! Not all my layers were pale yellow like in your lovely pics. I will keep practising! 🙂 Thank you! Marianna
Hi Marianna! Yaaaay! So happy your Tamagoyaki was successful! Keep practicing and you will be a lot more comfortable with each step and will know the tricks. Try to lift up your pan while cooking so that your pan will not become too hot. It’s easier to control the location of your pan (I mean by lifting up) than changing the heat. Hope this helps. 🙂 Thanks for writing, Marianna!
This rolled omelette is magnificent! One needs a lot of patience to create a perfect tamagoyaki…
Cheers,
Rosa
This is the first I’ve heard of this dish. I would love to try it some day!
Thanks so much for sharing the pictures and the video with step by step directions as well as sharing the link to the frying pan. This info will definitely be useful when I decide to try this out!
Hi Nami-san. I have always wanted to wonder how we can roll the omelette. And thanks to you and your instructions, i can make it. It was not a big success (it tasted nice but didn’t looked as beautiful as yours), but it kinda make me feel proud to be able to try something new :). Thank you very much for your recipes and instructions. Keep up the good work!!!
Hi Gaaratorii! Thank you for trying this recipe! Don’t worry – I practice a lot when I first started to make tamagoyaki, and I’ve been making this since I was a teenager. So it’s not like I could make it in one trial. 🙂 I think mine is not perfect considering I have been making this for YEARS… =P Good luck, and thanks for your kind words!
Great recipe! I also loved the technique of rolling the omlette!
Thank you Lela! xo
I made rolled eggs. it tastes really goooood…………
Thank you for trying this recipe Anshu! Hope you enjoyed it! 🙂
Gosh! This is my son favourite tamago!!!! I must master this so that I can make tamago sushi for him!! Thanks for the detail step-by-step post!!
I made this once but I need more practice. I let this cook a little too much before I rolled and my husband said it needs to be more fluffy so I’m giving this a few more tries so I can get it right. Rolling with the chopsticks was pretty easy though. 🙂
Hi Christina! I’ve been making this since when I was in high school (20 years ago!) and I still don’t make it perfectly all the time. 😉 Good luck practicing! 🙂
Nami, I made several now and my husband Kohei says they are just perfect! Thank you for your wonderful instructions
Yay, Christina! So happy to hear he liked your tamagoyaki. ^_^ Good job making this, as it’s not always easy to make! 😉
Just a small correction. It should be 卵焼き not 玉子焼き.
Hi Fobos3! I actually spent some time to research on this topic before publishing this post as I wasn’t sure which is correct – as I see both kanji. So this is what I found after my research.
卵 is used for uncooked egg such as 生卵 (raw egg). 卵 can be used for all kinds of eggs, not necessarily chicken eggs.
玉子 is used when the chicken egg is cooked. Therefore, it’s more commonly used as 玉子焼き in Japan.
Hope that helps! 🙂
Nami, Thank you for the wonderful recipe’s. I always wondered how they did that with the egg, and also the katsu don is one of my favorites. I lived in Japan for a few years and loved the food. Thanks again’
Happy Holidays…
Hi Roxanne! Thank you so much for your comment! I’m happy to hear you enjoy Japanese food. 🙂 Thank you for following my blog!
^^ eheh you omelette looks yummy but whenever i make it it starts to unwrap a little when i cut it(well also because i don’t use dashi stock because in pakistan dashi stock is not available and also mirin is also not available because in our religion anything containing alcohol is forbidden and considered Haram) so any suggestions? ^^
Hi Abdul! I think you cook the egg a little too much before you start rolling. When the bottom is set and top is still soft, start rolling. That way, the soft part will act like glue and layers will stay in shape. You can omit dashi and mirin 🙂
Where would you get the Dashi, and Mirin, or even the Daikon radish.. Would it be at the Asian Market? or would you have to order it online somewhere?
Hi Kelsey! Japanese supermarkets and most of Asian grocery stores (Korean/Chinese) sell dashi (“Hondashi” dashi powder), mirin, and daikon radish. I’m not sure where you’re from, but these days American grocery stores (in California) sell mirin and daikon radish. You can make dashi (Japanese stock) from scratch, but it’s a bit more time consuming if you are going to make just this dish. If I make dashi from scratch, I’d make a lot and make miso soup out of it too. 🙂 Hope this helps. I’ll share the link for dashi below:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/how-to-make-dashi/
Yes, thank you! I really appreciate it.
I made this for my Japanese in-laws and it was a hit! It came out beautifully and they all loved it! Tamagoyaki is one of my husband’s favorites, so I’ll be making this again. Thanks Nami for the delicious recipe and the easy to follow steps. My son loved watching me make it. I felt like such a pro after follow your step by step instructions. 🙂
Hi Esther! So happy to hear your in-laws liked it! 🙂 I’m also glad the step by step instructions were helpful too. Thank you very much for writing your feedback.
Where can I get this tamago pan? The one I have is very shallow and tends to stick.
Hi Jane! Mine is from Japan (T-fal brand – see the link in my recipe). I used to have inexpensive tamagoyaki pan and it was easy to stick too (unless I put more oil). If you have a nice non-stick round pan, that works too. You just need to cut off the ends (to make it rectangular) and need more egg mixture as the round frying pan is bigger than tamagoyaki pan. Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I am making individual frozen meals for my mother, who lives alone. She is perfectly healthy but she no longer has the energy to cook a lot of food for herself. She loves tamagoyaki with hot gohan, something simple she can have for lunch or supper sometimes. Do you know if tamagoyaki can be frozen, and defrosted without getting mushy or watery?
Hi Linda! She must enjoy simple meal like gohan, miso soup, tamagoyaki, and salted salmon (I have recipes for all these :)). As I get older, I definitely prefer eating simple!
Anyway, yes, you can freeze tamagoyaki. IF you make this tamoagyaki, it includes dashi. After you defrost, dashi (liquid) may come out from tamagoyaki. It’s not a lot, but it won’t be completely dry. If you prefer tamagoyaki to be dry, then omit dashi. I use my Quick and Easy Tamagoyaki recipe (no dashi) and freeze them too. For me, the dashi from defrosted tamagoyaki doesn’t bother me. Oh, and it won’t get mushy or that watery. 🙂
Hope that helps.
Like it very much
Thanks
Thank you for reading Raja! 🙂
HeyÇ! i just found your page as a pin from Pinterest, but i really loved your page from the beggining!!! I live inMexico, and i’m starting a bussyness with japanesse food… I’m not that good at all, but people in here says my rolls taste well, i also prepare yakimeshis, but sometimes it’s a little hard to prepare some recipes ’cause it’s difficult to find the ingredients in here… There exist some asian stores but some don’t have the ingredients… the thing is i’m interested in this recipe you made, ‘tamagoyaki’, but i wanna know how much does it cost an order for a person, and how much will it be better to serve it for a person… Hope to have an answer, and it’s a great page! greetings!!!
Hi Joe! Actually I’m not sure how much things cost, especially Japanese food, and it’s hard for me to guess how much it would cost in Mexico. Sorry I can’t help much…
Hi again! thanks for replying! when i wrote about costs i mean about the finish dish, how much can i sell it? more or less, not about the ingredients, because i understand prices are diferent in each country, but maybe seeing the price of the dish i can have an idea of how much will it cost in my menu… thank you!
Hi Joe! Personally I’ve never seen a restaurant that serves Tamagoyaki as a la carte or on the menu… Tamagoyaki is kind of like a home cooked dish and it is also a part of lunch box or breakfast set (in Japan). So it’s hard to suggest a price as I have never seen one before. Maybe two pieces for $1.50? I really have no idea… Sorry I am not good help here. 🙁
Thank you very much, i’m glad you could help me… maybe not with a real price but you helped me understand it might be not a good idea to have it as a part of a menu by itself… i guess i should figure out which dishes are able to be set in a menu at first, and which ones are suppoussed to be just as a home made meal… thank you, have a nice day, and keep it up with the page! your pics and recipes are awesome!!!!
Hi Joe! I wish I could help. We eat tamagoyaki for breakfast (Japanese style with rice, miso soup, some fish, etc), and sometimes put it in lunch box (bento) but it’s not common to eat for dinner. We also eat tamagoyaki on top of sushi… but that’s about it. 🙂
on top of sushi… i might use this idea.. thank you very much!!!!
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Nami! All of your recipes are so cool!I love to make eggs in the morning, I’m going to try this! My one concern is the sodium, I like cooking for my dad but he can’t have a lot of sodium in his diet. I know there is low sodium soy sauce, but I was wondering if that’s an issue in Japan as well as America, and if so what replaces the soy in the diet?
Hi Madi! Thank you so much for your kind words! You can completely avoid salt and soy sauce and it’ll be still okay. You can reduce the amount of mirin and sugar since there is no salty ingredients to balance out. Hope this helps. 🙂
I’ve been curious about tamagoyaki for a while, but I’m not a very good cook so I was a little intimidated. I was hungry though, and low on food, so I figured I’d give it a try.
Heh, I didn’t have any dashi or mirin (and I forgot the salt now that I look back, whoops) but this came out surprisingly good! I bet it’d be even better with a little practice and more ingredients. I’ll have to stop by the local asian market soon.
Thanks for the recipe and especially the pictures! They were a big help.
Hi Jaybee! Sorry for my late response. I’m glad to hear your tamagoyaki came out good! 🙂 Good looking tamagoyaki takes practice so don’t worry! I’m glad the step by step pictures were helpful. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you! xo
Hi,
Nice and glad to have your recipe over the net. This is exiting to eat not only the look but also the taste. Mix salty sweety sour taiste. One of my favorite japanese food serves in breakfast. Just one question regarding steps number 4. Why do we need to strain mixture? What particles we illuminate in this steps? Thank you hope your response on my e-mail.
Thank you and more japanese recipe!
Sam
Hi Sam! Thank you so much for your kind comment! Straining helps to make the egg mixture smooth. I should have taken a picture of what looks after in the sieve. It’s an extra step, and sometimes I don’t do it (especially just for my family use) but this is a just refinement to make better tamagoyaki. Hope this helps.
OMG it looks delicious.I have tried japanese omelette but the sweet one. I don’t have any clue which one was it but it was delicious and it was in square shape. Could you please let me know how much the Japanese pan cost you? It will be really helpful.
Thanks.
Hi Neha! Thank you! It’s about 3500 yen ($35) I remember. You can use the round pan as well. 🙂
Hi, I’d like to try out your recipe but first I’m looking for an omelette pan–I can see it would be a bit trickier with a normal round frying pan. They’re all over the internet but I need one that’s safe in the dishwasher, and none of them state either way. Is yours/do you know of any? Thanks–I will review the recipe when I’ve tried it!
Hi Alex! Mine is dishwasher safe, but this one is from Japan and costs a bit more than those I can find (at stores/internet) in the US. They are usually not dishwasher safe and not a very good quality product… I’d still use good quality non-stick round pan to make tamagoyaki. You really can do it. The both end gets rounded but it’s not that strange. For good tamagoyaki with many layers, the egg has to be thin. And to be able to make nice thin layer, I think a good non-stick pan helps so the egg doesn’t stick to it and you can make a very good layer each time. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hello! I was wondering if there’s a substitute to mirin! I am Muslim, so can’t add anything that has alcohol in dishes!
Hi Fatema! My suggestion is here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry/mirin/
You can simply use water and sugar but please understand it’s not really the same. 🙂
I wonder if you could cook the mirin slightly to remove the alcohol, as it would all evaporate, leaving that yummy flavor behind.
Yes, I used to suggest that, but since we don’t know if alcohol is completely evaporated or not, they can’t or prefer not to use it. 🙂
I just put my kombu in water to soak. I’ll be making dashi later tonight and the Tamagoyaki tomorrow.
Thank you for the video. 🙂
Hi Bob! I hope you enjoy Tamagoyaki tomorrow! 🙂 So glad to hear you like the video!
Hi Nami,
I made my Tamagoyaki in a round pan and it worked great! All I can say it YUMMY! My wife is in the shower now and it is taking all of my will-power to save her a few pieces.
Because I used a round pan, my roll is not as thick as yours but is still delicious. Maybe I will double the recipe and make it bigger. You can’t go wrong with bigger, right? hahaha
Hi Bob! I’m so glad to know it came out well. When I use a round pan, I usually use a small one similar to tamagoyaki pan size. You can double the recipe as well! Hope your wife got to eat some piece. 😀
Thanks for the recipe Nami! I followed your recipe and studied the video you provided and it was a success! It was a lot easier to accomplish than I thought it would be. SOO helpful.
Is there anything I can replace dashi with or can I just omit it?
Hi Rrebecca! The real tamagoyaki has the dashi flavor, but if you don’t mind that it’s missing, you can omit it. 🙂 However, you might thin out by water a bit, if you want to make thin layers of tamagoyaki. Hope this helps, and enjoy! 🙂
I love this tutorial! I wonder, though, could you show how you make tamagoyaki in a rounded frying pan? I can’t get my hands on the square pan, but I’d still love to make the recipe.
Thanks for your request! Maybe I’ll make a YouTube video for it.
I’m so glad I found this, my son asked for a “typical” Japanese breakfast ( although he’s not keen on miso). My only question is do you recommend chicken or duck eggs? I have an over abundance of both this time of year, and intend to try the recipe with each type. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.
I have never tried this recipe with duck egg. If you can get the fresh eggs, your tamagoyaki must be so delicious!!! Hope you and your son enjoy this recipe!
Thank you for replying, and thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I’ve made your tamagoyaki recipe several times now and it’s always a hit. I’ve made it with both the duck and chicken eggs, and the duck eggs are our preference (when they’re laying). We are lucky enough to be able to raise both, so VERY fresh eggs are nearly always available.
Hi Katy! Wow I’m so jealous you get to enjoy fresh eggs! Must be so delicious! ????
As always, everything thought out, nothing superfluous. perfect!
Hi Valters! Thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m so glad yours came out well! 🙂
Hey! Thank you for the recipe <3
I'm a little confused about the amounts. Do you really need 4 tablespoons of dashi and only one teaspoon mirin and soy sauce? In the pictures it looks like you have more liquid. I made it and it turned out very pretty thanks to your guide!
But it was also very strong, which made me wonder if I understood the amounts correctly? Would love if someone could help me with that..:)
Hi Ditte! Yes, the amount is correct. The picture may not show you well in terms of the size/amount as the image is zoomed in shot (the bowl is small size, but camera is more close up). You can adjust the amount of seasonings as you like, but we usually put this in bento box, so it’s seasoned well enough to be enjoyed at room temperature.
ちぇんさん、アメリカ人ですそしてあの平鍋amazon.co.jpで買いますことができません。アメリカにどこ買いますか。三ツ和か。
こんにちは、Elizarさん！台湾の東急ハンズで買いました。アマゾンでも売ってます。
http://amzn.to/1GLahVs
雪平鍋のことですよね？
Seriously you are like the best cook of Japanese food ever. I love your recipes. It’s always just so perfect!
Hi Teia! Your words are too kind. Thank you so much! 🙂
I always thought this recipe was something Mama made up. She changed it because she was unable to get certain ingredients until we transferred to Japan in 1968. But by then my sister and I only wanted them the way she originally made…sans Mirin and dashi. We also make them scrambled and served over fresh rice.
Hi Mary! That’s wonderful! Your mom is an amazing cook! It’s family recipe and family taste. You can totally enjoy without them. 🙂
I love your site and recipes. Last night I decided to go all out and make a complete bento box for my husband. I finally got to use the bento box sets I had bought for him. ????
The lunch was centered around this recipe. I made two Tamagoyaki rolls, one sliced and put on rectangles of rice bound with nori and some wasabi between them. This was a first for me. The other I left more or less intact (I am still trying to get the hang of making them into a nice neat roll ????), with a bunch of seasoned rice. I even got out my punches and sprinkled nori shapes on top of the rice. I finished it off with kappa maki, and onigiri.
Anyway, my husband was so impressed that he took photos of it and posted it on his Facebook page (he had always said that he would ever post photos of food). They got him more likes and comments than anything else has ever had! I am going to get him to put a link to your fabulous site so everyone else can do this! ????
Hi Danielle! What a cute story! Thank you so much for sharing! I’m so happy to hear your husband enjoyed it (and even took a photo of it!). 🙂 It seems like you made a fantastic lunch box! It’s only the beginning, I know you’ll be hooked to make more bentos! 😉
A couple of hours ago I came back home from a trip to Japan and just HAD to try your recipe ( I bought the tamagoyaki pan in Osaka) and my omelette turned out really good. Thank you for your oh so fabulous tutorial!
Hi Alexandra! Wow, you’re already cooking after the trip! Hope you had a wonderful time in Japan! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for your kind feedback! Tamagoyaki pan from Japan is very good (if it’s from good source). Enjoy making lots of tamagoyaki! 🙂
Pretty good! I only had the soy sauce and sugar to add, used a round pan, didn’t strain it, rolled it with spatulas and didn’t roll it in a matt afterward either. Still turned out pretty good and held its shape well. Cool recipe that can be simplified a lot if you don’t have the required bits. Fun to make too!!
Hi Doom! Awesome! Yes you can simply use regular eggs to make this way and I do that for my kids bento (easy and quick). 🙂 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
I love tamagoyaki/dashimaki and I love making them it’s fun. I’ve never got them as cute as yours but I try to do my best…. I love your green pan, too!
Hi Genus! It’s the same when you put it in your tummy! 😀 I’m sure your make delicious tamagoyaki, Genus! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Love yr idea of the crinkle surface of this omelette! Great job! 🙂
And btw, I can’t wait too for yr collaboration videos wt Seonkyoung. I hv been following her on youtube too. Both of u looks great! Can’t wait! :))
Hi Jean! Thanks so much for your kind words! Oh boy, I hope the final videos will be good… We haven’t started to edit yet…so I haven’t see yet. Ahh! 🙂
Nami this looks delicious, i could eat it right now. I will have to look into getting one of those rectangular pans down under in Perth Aus.
Thank you for your kind words Linda! Hope you can find a good tamagoyaki pan there. 🙂
I love that you are sharing this recipe! We love tamagoyaki and yours looks so beautiful! Your pan is so cool too, I can’t wait to try making this 🙂
I love to make this but I will have to find that kind of pan first. Daughter loves eggs so this will be a treat for her
The texture of this is so neat! As is the shape. Such a fun — and different — recipe. Your step-by-step instructions are so useful for this dish. Thanks!
Nami, this tamgoyaki is beautifully done! I can have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. When Bryan and I were in Tokyo last time, we got one from the street. It was hot, fluffy and soft. So good!
I’m pinning it. It’s so easy and looks so pretty as for an omelette.
I can`t believe how thick the tamagoyaki is with only 3 eggs! Since I love nori, I will certainly add it. I didn`t know there was such a thing as cooking chopsticks. I will be looking for some the next time I am at an Asian grocery store. Thanks Nami!
Hi Kitblu! My tamagoyaki pan is narrow, so 3 eggs are plenty for the size of my pan. Plus, adding dashi increase the volume. Yes, we have cooking chopsticks! They are longer than regular chopsticks so that you don’t burn your hands / fingers while cooking. 🙂
Nami, your tamagoyaki looks just perfect! So beautiful I feel ashamed of the clumsy stuff I posted one day on my blog… I can see here the hand of an experienced tamagoyaki chef! Congratulations!
I love tamagoyaki, but not the sweet type I thought obligatory in Japan. Imagine my joy when, during my November holidays I finally dared asking if the served omelette was sweet or not and… learnt some places actually make tamagoyaki without sugar!!! (And not just for me but for every customer). I was so happy 🙂
You have reminded me my tamagoyaki pan has been sleeping for too long. I must wake it up 😉
I’d really love to see recipes for those that are on an extremely strict budget for 2016. All of these so far are so amazing ^_^
Thank you Charlie! I’m so glad to hear that. If this was for giveaway, make sure to enter in the right giveaway post. 🙂 This comment won’t be counted. Good luck!
I’ve never seen a tamagoyaki pan. The rolled omelette looks very good. This does looks a wee bit tricky but I’ll take your word for it that it’s quite manageable xx
Thank you for posting this recipe. It’s my son’s favourite and I want to try and make it. I think I have tried about 20 of your recipes in the past month and I must say, they have all turned out great without me having to adjust sugar or salt amounts which I sometimes do when I use Japanese recipes. Looking forward to try more recipes and I’m gonna try a dessert recipe soon too!
Hi Carol! I’m so happy to hear you like my recipes! Thank you for trying them! So happy to hear your son likes this recipe. Hope he’ll enjoy it! 🙂
Loved watching your video. What an interesting way to make an omelette. I’d love to try it but when alone in the house, so that if I fail and it turn out different than yours, no one would laugh at me 🙂
I would like to know where you bought the tamago pan I saw it on line (the same exact green one) when I was searching for it but now I cant find it again. Also wanted to know why was it that you added a sheet of seaweed to the egg when you showed it using the round pan, is it to give it more thickness or just a variation? thank you again in advance for your response.
Hi Angela! The link for the exact pan is here:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/T-fal-%E3%83%87%E3%82%A3%E3%83%95%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%AB-%E3%82%A8%E3%83%83%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AD%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC-12%C3%9718cm-C04618/dp/B005I1P94S/ref=pd_sim_k_8
I put the link in the recipe (under “What you will need”). I can’t find the same product anywhere on English site. My mom bought the pan and sent to me from Japan.
As for the nori, I didn’t want to make the same plain tamagoyaki for the round pan, so I added Nori inside. No specific reason. Just wanted to show you another variation while showing how to make in a round pan, so the video won’t be over 10 minutes. 🙂
Hope that helps!
Nana just ate half of the tamago by herself. I will make this again soon.
Hi Rose! I’m so happy to hear that your Nana enjoyed it! Thank you!!!
I experimented with this recipe by using a mini-loaf pan in place of a tamagoyaki pan. It worked very well! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’ve also used it for tamago zushi.
Hi Naressa! Oh mini loaf pan? Wow! I’m so happy to hear you adapted this recipe well! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hello,
Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Please, how long ahead a tamagoyaki can be prepared ? For example in the morning for dinner ?
Can I put in the refrigerator ?
Very grateful for your site
Feriale
Hi Feriale! Sure, you can make it in the morning and save it for dinner. I recommend keeping it in the fridge till serving though. 🙂 Thank you for reading my blog and trying out my recipe! 🙂
Thank you for answering my question so clearly and promptly.
Keep on the good work
Thank you for the easy instructions!!
I hesitated to make this at first, because it looks so hard!
But I finally had the courage to try it and I did it with my round pan! And it was not that hard, especially if you’re using chopsticks.
Will definitately make this again 🙂
Hi Steph! I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe and liked it! Thanks for your kind feedback. 🙂
Hello. I am keen to try this recipe and will be using the instant dashi powder. I would like to check if I should use 3 tbsp of instant dashi powder? Thank you.
Hi Eva! If you are using dashi powder, you don’t need 3 tbsp of dashi powder for this recipe. Usually, for 3 cups (480-720 ml) water, you put 1 tsp. (6 g) instant dashi powder. For more dashi flavor, you can use 1 tsp for 2 cups. You only need 3 tbsp which is about 1/4 cups (= 4 tbsp), so 1/8 tsp for 1/4 cup water. Hope this helps and enjoy this recipe!
hi Nami, thank you so much!
I made this for the first time today. It’s absolutely delicious. I give myself a B- for the first time trying to roll it in the pan. My tamagoyaki pan is coated, so it’s pretty slippery… But it came out not-bad for a first try. And was completely delicious.
Hi Debbie! I’m so happy to hear you made this! B- is not so bad for the first try! My first time wasn’t definitely that great. 😉 Thanks so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback! xo
Besides the nori, is there anything else that can be place in the middle, as long as it is not a wet ingredient?
Hi Elizabeth! We put a lot of different things. Yes, wet ingredients are tough to put. Vegetables (I recommend minced so it’ll be cooked through), fish cakes (if you can get it), blanched veggies (like asparagus and green beans), etc. 🙂
I finally have a tamagoyaki pan and I’m so excited to use it! It never went so well for me when I tried to make this dish without one, hopefully it will go well when I try it now..
Where do you get those adorable chopstick rests? I love how every now and again a different one pops up in one of your posts and they’re always so cute.
Hi Emy! I hope yours will come out well. Sometimes frying pan needs to be oiled well, so don’t give up with your first trial. 🙂
The chopstick rests are from Japan. I’m glad you liked them. I try to collect for fun and for props. 🙂
Would you mind giving me some advice on using the pan?
I oiled it well and spread it with a paper towel before turning the pan on the heat, but the eggs just stuck to the bottom of the pan, so I couldn’t fold it over, but I’m not sure if there is something I’m doing wrong.
I adore tamagoyaki, but I am yet to make it successfully 😀
Hi Emy! First of all, the pan has to be heated well before you apply. Don’t apply cold oil on the pan (forgot the logic) but always heat the pan (doesn’t have to be “ready” temperature yet, but at least warm). Then apply the oil. I’m not sure the material of your tamagoyaki pan, but for the first few rounds, put extra oil than normal (not a lot though) and let the pan get used to the cooking. When the egg mixture is poured, make sure the pan is hot so you hear “jjjjuahhh” sound (sorry I don’t know how to write that sound). If you don’t hear it, the egg might stick. If you feel your pan got too hot during the cooking, instead of turning off the heat, REMOVE the tamagoyaki pan away from the heat. If the pan is still hot, place the pan on the wet towel to quickly reduce heat, but don’t do it too long; or else you have to heat the pan again and takes time.
Hope this helps a bit. 🙂
After the 10′ try the “result” finally looks like a tamagoyaki… and not like a battlefield where every roll got more or less destroyed :Y
Hi Philipp! You’re doing great job practicing! I’ve been making tamagoyaki from middle school, yet my skill is nearly perfect…. 😉
Nice, very detailed recipe. Since you mentioned that it is hard to find a good quality tamagoyaki pan outside of Japan, I did a search for tamagoyaki pan and the only picture of a round ruffled pan I saw is the one on this very page. Is a pan like that made for the classic shape? Do you know where one can buy a pan like that or is it not really worth worrying about? I realize a rectangular pan makes it easier to roll the omelette, but it’s the ruffled texture of that pan in the picture I am curious about, I’ve never seen a pan like that before.
Hi Nathan! Thank you for reading my post! I’m a bit confused with the word “ruffled” you used. Then I realized that you’re probably talking about the “ruffled” shape on Tamagoyaki (final result).
That’s made by the bamboo mat (final step), not by the frying pan. 🙂
Let me know if I misunderstood your comment. 🙂
Just made this. Flipping was kinda hard for me so it wasn’t much to look. But the taste was good. Need more practice. Will try to find a tamagoyaki pan.
Hi Lucien! Yeah tamagoyaki is all about practice… If I don’t make it for a while, my tamagoyaki won’t look as pretty. Hope you enjoy making it! Glad to hear you enjoy the flavor. 🙂
Hello
I bought a tiny tamagoyaki pan from my recent trip to Japan. Try making it for the first time ever and succeeded! Thanks for your good recipe, video and tips!! It’s not difficult even for cooking beginners like me.
Hi Judith! I’m so happy to hear that your tamagoyaki came out well! Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
About to try this! Very excited~
Hi Kimberly! Hope yours come out! If not, don’t worry… I’ve been cooking this for over 2 decades… still I consider mine is not perfect. xD
Dear Nami, love this recipe, thank you!!! Flavour is fantastic but my egg rolling skills need major improvement. Does dashitamago keep well in fridge? It’s too rush to make it for bento in 4.30an in morning. Thinking of making it the afternoon 1-2 day ahead. Many thanks,
Hi Dawn! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Don’t worry, practice makes it perfect, and I feel like mine is not good either… Yes, you can store in the fridge or freezer too. 🙂
You make it look so easy! What is it served with?
Hi Cindy! Tamagoyaki is always a small side dish, so you can serve with any meat or fish dishes for breakfast or lunch box. Typically in Japan, it’s served with grilled fish for breakfast, and lunch time with any main dishes in lunch box, like this:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/shio-koji-karaage-bento/
Hope that helps?
Hi Nami, is it ok if I use Ajinomoto hondashi? I use it for many Japanese dishes and find it to be perfectly satisfactory. I sometimes make my own from scratch but I find the granular convenient.
Hi Darryl! Sure, you can! If you want convenience AND good taste, I highly recommend dashi packet (like a tea bag style). Your dashi taste will improve significantly! 🙂
Hi Nami!
I would like to ask, i saw a tamago yaki recipe on a japanese cook book too. But the first step it says to heat up the mirin and allow it to cool before adding to the egg mixture. Do you know what is the reason behind this? I do not have any japanese friend to ask, would really like to know why!
Thank you very much! and of course for all your great recipes!!
Huimin 😀
Hi Huimin! Sure! Mirin has high alcohol content in it, especially when Hon Mirin is used (https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mirin/). So by cooking in the stove for a few seconds to 1 minute, alcohol evaporates. You can wave the steam to see if alcohol went away. While cooking tamagoyaki, alcohol will evaporate too. 🙂
When I mix in 1tsp of mirin, 1tsp of soy sauce, and 3 Tbsp of dashi, it becomes a thick hard mixture of dashi instead of liquid like on the picture. What am I doing wrong?
Hello! I’m a little bit afraid that you used 3 Tbsp of dashi POWDER..??? There are 3 ways to make dashi (https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-dashi-3-ways/). Dashi means the liquid. 🙂
Oh my gosh! I made this for breakfast this morning and it was AMAZING!!! I left out the sugar (because I do low carb), and the dashi because I had none prepared. It was perfectly sweet and savory without sugar, and I can’t imagine how it will be with dashi! I tried daikon with it, but it is a bit spicy for my taste. I will try roasting or pickling the daikon for future mornings! I will definitely make this again! ^-^
Hi Samantha! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you liked it. 🙂 Daikon is usually bitter/spicier toward the tip and when it’s not season (Daikon season is November to February). When we use daikon for grated daikon like this recipe we use the green top part that are sweeter. 🙂
I think that must be the problem. I will have to try again buying from the Asian grocery when they are in season! Thanks!
Hi nami, I thought about buying a tamagoyaki pan and I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of non-stick pans, so I would like to know if a copper pan like the one I found on Amazon could be useful.
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Copper-Tamagoyaki-Omelette-Pan/dp/B001U07R6Y/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1533001754&sr=8-9&keywords=tamagoyaki+pan
I hope to do tamagoyaki soon !!!
I forgot to write that the large-sized copper pan you mentioned in the article is somewhat expensive for me, so the pan I mention is a little smaller (15×15 cm) but I do not know if it’s too small to make tamagoyaki
Hi Ruth! 15 cm x 15 cm is good size for home use (bigger than mine). Copper pan is more traditional and works great, but you will need to use a lot so the grease is into the pan. Be patient for the first few (or several) times… and no dish washer. You will likely to use it for many years to come!
Thanks for your answer! I do not have a dishwasher, but does that mean I can not wash it? I have heard that it is not recommended to use soap, is this true?
Hi Ruth! You can wash it. I think gentle soap would be okay to use, but should not need so much.
If I want to use instant dashi, how much should I use? Could you please tell me?
Hi Yee! Each instant dashi powder has probably different amount for let’s say 1 cup water…
For the MSG-free dashi powder that I can get,
2-3 cups water (2-3 cups = 420-720 ml)
1 tsp dashi powder (1 tsp = 6 g)
It’s in the recipe box: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-dashi-3-ways/
Hope that helps!
Rolled omelette looking amazing. And I love the description part. You explained very clearly. Nice post. Thank you for sharing.
Is it supposed to brown like that on the surface touching the pan? I dont find that browned egg taste appealing myself..
It’s really up to personal preference, too. Restaurants that serve tamagoyaki also have their own preference; some are completely no char mark, some have char mark… there is no “right” one. So you can make the way you like, and it’s not wrong. 🙂
Thanks Nami! I’ve always wondered how this egg dish was made – amazing : )
I’d like to try making dashimaki tamago at home, though don’t have a bamboo sushi mat yet because I’m not sure how to clean it properly, especially when you can’t use cling film to stop food and fluids getting trapped between pieces of bamboo. Are there any tips for how best to keep the mat clean? Warm thanks : )
Hi J! Bamboo products are not dishwasher safe, so we have to hand wash. I always rinse the mat with hot water and use a brush to gently clean between the bamboo sticks (?) of the mat so the brush can get to the narrow gap. I sometimes use a small amount of soap if it got oily, etc. Even though the mat is pretty inexpensive, I have the same mat for many years as it stays clean and lasts for a long time. 🙂
Hi Nami, and thank you for your speedy reply! Reassuring to know that the mat lasts a long time when you clean it properly. I don’t want to buy a plastic one because bamboo is much more environmentally friendly, and as you say, also less expensive! I now have this on my shopping list for next time there is a sale happening – thank you so much for sharing! : )
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Hello Nami – Last year I made your datemake. It was so delicious, but I forgot to get a fish cake this time. I am wondering if this dashimake tamago can be made ahead one day. Is it eaten both cold and warm? Also is there a list of which recipes are in your ebook?
Hi Amy! I apologize for my late response. Yes, you can make one day ahead of time. It can be eaten cold, warm, or hot. I do not disclose which recipes are in my eBook as I mentioned in my eBook page, all the recipes in my eBook are from the website, and I selected favorites. If you use my site often, it might not be a good choice to purchase because you may have made my recipes already. It’s good for someone new to my site but doesn’t know where to start. 🙂
Looking forward to trying to make this! Used to eat it all the time when I lived in Tokyo.
I have a question…I often see this magic blend of Japanese seasonings: mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and sometimes dashi. Is there some way to make a general blend of these ingredients to keep on hand and use when a recipe calls for that base set of seasonings? As I look across a few recipes the ratios are a bit different and dashi could be omitted from the base sauce and added as needed. This may have been discussed elsewhere but I haven’t seen it so thought I’d ask.
Thanks!
Hi Jon! Hope you enjoy this recipe! You’re right. Japanese recipes almost always include soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar – this is what people here (in the US) call teriyaki sauce, but they are the basic seasonings for Japanese recipes. As you mentioned, adding dashi to make the soup base, and this is called Mentsuyu (noodle base soup) and I have the recipe on the blog.
If you look at each recipe, we change the ratio for these ingredients to make a dish, and we do not really have “all-purpose” sauce/seasoning for it. Maybe because we do not want EVERY dish to taste the same with the seasonings but at the same time, it varies based on the family’s preference. You can imagine each Japanese family makes recipes using different ratios of this…
So if you want to cut down on time, you can make my homemade Teriyaki sauce and Mentsuyu (with dashi) and adjust accordingly to the recipe you’re making. I like to have total control of the seasonings as I sometimes omit sugar or mirin etc. 🙂
Hope I answered your question.
Hi!
I really want to try it out but I’m vegetarian and unfortunately there is no kombu dashi in any of the asain convenience stores in my country.. What can I use instead of it? Is it a crucial to use dashi?
Thank you so much in advance!
It absolutely looks amazing!
Hi Yael! Kombu Dashi is something you make (well, there is an instant kombu dashi powder, but it might be hard to find outside of Japan). Here’s the recipe and video about kombu dashi. Hope you enjoy!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-kombu-dashi-vegetarian-dashi/
With this dashi, you can make many Japanese recipes that require dashi. 🙂
Hello Nami!
I love tamagoyaki!! I’ve tried making it several times at home, but I get uneven results…
The egg seems loose after I shape it with the bamboo mat, its not as dense as yours and appears a little runny sometimes…I noticed in the video that the egg mixture cooks almost instantly, and it takes me a couple of minutes. Should I try a higher temperature? (my stove is electric) My skills for rolling the omelette are lacking as well…Any tips? Although it’s probably just practice!
The recipe tastes delicious even if my tamagoyaki doesn’t look as as yours! Thank you so much!
Hi Alexandra! From your description, I think your egg is underdone. Try a higher temperature. Tamagoyaki can be made with both high (nice char gives flavor) and super low temperature (when you don’t want any dark spot). If it’s gas stove, we always control the amount of heat by lifting your pan up and down. With electric burner, I think you can probably remove from the heat to stop the heat. Try increasing the heat first. When you roll it, make sure the egg is not “runny” but still wet. Good luck!!
Hello. I’m trying to find the ingredients for this recipe. What brands would you reccomend to use for dashi & mirin?
Hi Rachel!
Dashi – it’s something we make, but you can read a bit more on this post: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-dashi-jiru/
Mirin: https://www.justonecookbook.com/mirin/
Hope this helps!