Tamago Sushi Recipe: How to Make Japanese Tamago Sushi
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Mar 11, 2024 • 3 min read
Tamago Sushi is a type of nigiri sushi featuring a rolled Japanese omelet, and it’s simple to make at home.
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What Is Tamago Sushi?
Tamago is the Japanese word for “egg,” so in Japanese cuisine, tamago sushi is egg sushi. Tamago sushi features tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) on top of an oblong mound of sushi rice bound by a thin ribbon of nori seaweed.
Tamago sushi is a type of nigiri sushi that originated in the Kanto region of Japan. Nigiri is made by hand-forming a small log of seasoned rice and topping it with a thin piece of sashimi (raw fish) with a dot of wasabi paste in between the fish and the rice. Tamago sushi looks like a typical piece of nigiri, but instead of thinly sliced raw fish, it’s topped with a slice of rolled omelet.
What Is Tamagoyaki?
Tamagoyaki, which means "egg cooked over dry heat," is a Japanese rolled omelet. Also known as atsuyaki tamago (thick egg), the rolled egg gets its distinctive appearance from cooking one layer of egg at a time in a rectangular pan with straight sides. Tamagoyaki is typically served sliced to show off the fine layers of egg. Like a French-style omelet, tamagoyaki is light, tender, and barely set. In Japan, slices of tamagoyaki are commonly found in children's bento boxes and atop nigiri at sushi restaurants. Tamagoyaki is a standard part of Japanese breakfast and a common side dish for lunch or dinner.
What Is Sushi Rice?
Sushi rice is plain short-grain Japanese rice that has been steamed and flavored with vinegar, salt, and sugar. Sushi can feature all different types of fish and vegetables, but it always contains sticky, chewy sushi rice. In fact, the word sushi, which means “sour-tasting,” originally referred to the fermented rice used in sushi-making. Today, the subtle sourness of seasoned sushi rice typically comes from rice vinegar.
Sushi rice should be made with short-grain white rice, which is clingy and remains tender at room temperature. Since Japanese rice is rarely exported, use Japanese varieties grown in California, such as kokuho, calrose, or anything labeled “sushi rice.”
Japanese Tamago Sushi Recipe
makes
20 nigiriprep time
30 mintotal time
45 mincook time
15 minIngredients
- 1
Make the tamagoyaki. Use chopsticks to whisk together dashi stock, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce in a large liquid measuring cup.
- 2
Add eggs and whisk to combine.
- 3
Heat a tamagoyaki pan or 8-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
- 4
Place a folded paper towel in a small bowl of oil. Use chopsticks to pick up the paper towel, and lightly oil the hot pan with the oiled paper towel.
- 5
Drip a little egg mixture onto the pan from a chopstick to test if the pan is hot enough to start cooking. It should immediately begin to sizzle.
- 6
Pour a thin layer of egg mixture to coat the bottom of the pan.
- 7
Use chopsticks to poke any air bubbles that form as you let the egg cook.
- 8
When the egg is nearly set, use chopsticks to roll the egg as tightly as possible, starting at the far end of the pan and rolling toward yourself.
- 9
Using chopsticks or a spatula, push the egg roll to the far end of the pan and begin a new layer.
- 10
Wipe the exposed surface of the pan with the oiled paper towel.
- 11
Pour another thin layer of egg.
- 12
Use chopsticks to lift up the cooked egg roll so that uncooked egg can flow underneath.
- 13
Tap out any air bubbles and let cook until almost set, then repeat the rolling process.
- 14
Repeat until no more egg mixture remains, about 2 more times.
- 15
Transfer tamagoyaki to a bamboo sushi mat and gently roll to shape the tamagoyaki into a neat rectangle with rounded edges.
- 16
Let cool in the refrigerator.
- 17
Slice the tamagoyaki into ¼-inch slices and cut the nori into ¼-inch-wide strips.
- 18
Prepare a bowl of room temperature water. Wet your hands, then use them to squeeze about 1½ tablespoons cooked rice into an oblong shape. You can use plastic wrap to help shape the rice.
- 19
Top the rice pieces with a slice of tamagoyaki, then carefully wrap a nori ribbon around the center of the sushi, placing the seam at the bottom of the rice. Trim excess nori.
- 20
Repeat with remaining rice, tamagoyaki, and nori.
- 21
Serve with wasabi, pickled ginger, and soy sauce.
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