To borrow a well-known catchphrase from a UK stores food advertising campaign, "this isn't just an egg sandwich, it's a Dashimaki Tamago Sando"
If you've never eaten a Japanese dashimaki omelette, you are in for a treat. Dashimaki Tamago literally means, "egg folded with stock" - it's an omelette made by mixing eggs with sugar and Japanese dashi stock, in this case in stock granule form. Japanese omelettes are made in a rectangular pan and the end result is a thick, very soft, savoury omelette which is, in my opinion, the best omelette you will ever eat...really. You'll find dashimaki omelette served as a sushi topping but also on its own as a side dish. You will also find it served, as it is here, sandwiched between two slices of soft bread as a Dashimaki Sando - now, that may sound a little humdrum, but believe me, once you've tried one of these, the humble egg sandwich will never seem quite so humble again.
So what makes a dashimaki omelette so good? Well, first it's the taste - sweet but at the same time with a hidden taste of imami from the Japanese stock.
Second, it's the texture, spongy and soft like no omelette you've ever eaten before - this comes down to the way the omelette is prepared by part cooking the omelette and then folding it into raw omelette mix, so that the egg never completely cooks but retains a delicate, soft and spongy texture. Place a dashimaki omelette between two slice of soft bread and you have something which is very simple but utterly delicious.
So, I hear you ask, if it's that's good, it must be difficult to make. My honest to this question would be, it isn't simple but it isn't that difficult either. There are a few tips which are good to know as follows:
1/. Although this is an omelette, when you first make your omelette mix, you should whisk it gently - I like to think of this as a brisk mix rather than a whisk - the reason for this is that you don't want to whisk air into the omelette mix but at the same time, you do need to loosen the egg white.
2/. I add a little water to the omelette mix - this helps loosen the egg white and it also creates a lighter texture.
3/. If you don't have a rectangular pan, you can still make a dashimaki omelette using a round frying pan. The finished omelette won't be quite so pretty but you can still make a rectangular shaped omelette and trim when finished. Whether you use a rectangular or round pan, it's a good idea to measure the size of the pan against the slices of bread that you're going to use to make the sandwich - if the slice of bread just fills the pan, then the less cutting to size you'll have to do.
4/. To get the soft, spongy texture of a dashimaki omelette, you need to bear two things in mind, You need to keep oil to a minimum and you need to keep an eye on the heat of the pan. It needs to be hot enough to cook the skin of the egg but not hot enough to cook the omelette all the way through - the inside of the omelette should still be soft - as if it has been steamed rather than fried.
So, there are a few things to consider and I would advise you to watch the Youtube tutorial via the link below. Once you've tried this technique once or twice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Get this right and I guarantee, you'll come back to it again and again when you get the urge for one of these irresistable sandwiches!
So, if you'd like to try this recipe out, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Dashimaki Tamago Sando or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. You can find the written recipe just below.
Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX.
ingredients:
(makes 1 Dashimaki Tamago Sando)
4 medium eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp Japanese dashi granules
60ml/2floz water
1 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 slices of bread
some mayo
how to:
first make the dashimaki tamago: break the 4 eggs into a bowl. add the salt, sugar, Japanese dashi granules and water. mix well into a loose omelette mixture. don't use an electric whisk as this will whisk to much air into the mixture
pour 1 tbsp of vegetable oil into a rectangular omelette pan, (or a round pan if you don't have a rectangular one). turn on the heat and spread the oil in the pan using a spatula. once the oil is hot, pour out any excess oil into small bowl for later use. you only need a thin layer of oil in the pan
next, pour about 1/3 of the omelette mix into the pan. as the omelette begins to set, keep moving the edge with chopsticks or a spatula to prevent sticking
when the middle of the omelette begins to firm, gently lift the edges of the omelette and using a large spatula or slice, fold the omelette in half. keep an eye on the hear and if the pan get too hpt, reduce the heat
add the little oil back into the pan and spread it around. lift the omelette and let some of the oil run underneath. add another 1/3 of the omelette mixture into the pan. again, lift the omelette to let some of the raw mix slide underneath
use your spatula or slice to keep the edge of the omelette from sticking to the sides of the pan. when the raw omelette begins to firm a little, flip the cooked omelette back onto the partly cooked half
now, add back a little more of the oil and repeat the process you have just done, spreading the oil over the pan and letting a little run underneath the omelette. add the last 1/3 of the omelette mixture to the pan. spread the egg mixture under the cooked omelette again and when it has begun to firm, flip the cooked half over the partly cooked part
remove from the heat and carefully transfer your dashimaki omelette to a plate to cool
spread some mayo over one or both slices of bread. place the omelette onto one of the slices and top with the other slice. cut your sandwich into 4 pieces and serve
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