GOHAN LAB/ Japanese rolled omelet flavored with dashi broth: 3 keys to mastering extra-soft omelettes

Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people prepare simple and tasty “gohan” (meals).
* * *
Gohan Lab’s very first article focused on ways to cook soft-boiled eggs the way you want them.
Fast forward three years and the final article will feature everyone’s favorite, “dashimaki-tamago,” or Japanese dashi-flavored rolled omelet.
The ingredients are simple, it tastes amazing when freshly baked, and nice and chewy even when cold. Although egg dishes involve many key points of culinary science, you need time to learn the ropes before you can get anywhere near the ideal.
Even if you overcook the omelet or lose its shape at first, enjoy the challenge and the respective flavor.
To strike a balance between the unique sweetness of the dashi-flavored rolled omelet and ease of rolling, Akiko Watanabe, who oversaw the cooking aspect of the recipe, came up with a ratio of three eggs to 50ml of dashi broth. . If you master everything and increase the broth to 100 ml, you will get a very fluffy rolled omelet.
You can make stock using the usual commercial dashi powder in sachets or granules. We recommend a slightly salty and sweet flavor, but try cooking it once and make adjustments.
The keys to cooking the rolled omelet are a generous amount of oil, a heat level that isn’t low, and good posture that allows the hand holding the specialized square pan to move easily. Practice before theory.
Once you learn the skill, you’ll be able to make omelet rolls you can be proud of for life.
BASIC COOKING METHOD
(Supervised by Akiko Watanabe in the cooking component and Midori Kasai in the culinary sciences component)
* Ingredients (for two people)
3 eggs, 1/4 cup dashi stock, 1/2 tsp light soy sauce, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/6 tsp sugar, a little oil
About 180 kcal and 1.0 grams of salt per serving
1. Add dashi stock, light soy sauce, salt and sugar to a cup or other container and stir to dissolve.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl, remove the chalaza. Mix with cooking rods (PHOTO A) and add the liquid prepared in 1.
3. Pour a little oil in a small dish. Fold the paper towel several times into a small size and let it absorb the oil. A 13 cm by 18 cm rolled omelet pan was used. Heat the oil over medium heat. Increase the temperature until it sizzles as drops of egg liquid fall onto the pan. Pour in 1/4 egg liquid (about 70% of a ladle spoon). When it is halfway cooked, tilt the pan, lowering the side towards you and collect the egg towards you using cooking rods (PHOTO B). Form a ball and push back to the other end.

4. Wipe the pan again with folded paper with oil, check the temperature and pour in 1/3 of the remaining egg liquid. Lift the cooked egg with chopsticks and let the egg liquid drip underneath. When it’s half cooked, remove the pan from the heat and tilt it so the end is lower. Gently hold the cooked egg between the chopsticks and roll towards you while turning your wrist which is holding the handle up (PHOTO C).

5. Repeat the process twice to complete. If you want to eat the omelet right away, serve it on a plate. If you want to adjust the shape of the rolled omelet, roll it in a “makisu” (bamboo rolling mat) and let it cool down a bit. Cut to the appropriate width.
Tips for Making Dashi Stock Flavored Japanese Rolled Omelet (Masahiro Goda)
***
Akiko Watanabe is a cooking expert specializing in Japanese cuisine.
Midori Kasai is professor emeritus at Ochanomizu University and former president of the Japan Society of Cookery Science.
ARRANGED VERSION
Rolled omelette flavored with green milk and dashi broth

This is a good option for packing lunch boxes. Add 1 teaspoon of green algae powder (“aonoriko”) to the same egg liquid. Cook half the quantity twice to make two rolled omelettes. Use a bamboo treadmill to form a cylindrical shape.
KITCHEN SCIENCE
The firmness of the heated egg depends on the seasonings and the amount of liquid added. If they are in large quantities, the protein is less likely to bind. However, the saltiness of the dashi broth or soy sauce and the calcium in the milk trigger the setting process. The sugar, however, slows down the process, making the egg dish soft. The milk gives the pudding a hardness that allows it to be unmolded, while the sugar gives it a creamy texture.

Questions and answers : Temperature holds the key when making roast beef
A reader from Saitama City pointed out that “a drip emerges even after letting the cooked roast beef sit for a while.” Chef Kuniaki Arima says, “Some amount of dripping should emerge as the cells of the meat will go through defrosting and some fresh meats may contain a higher amount of water.
After browning the surface of the meat, the goal is to raise the core temperature to 75 degrees. “Under high temperature, the meat will suddenly shrink and expel water. Keep the oven temperature between 130 and 150 degrees and cover the meat with cabbage or aluminum foil to protect it from direct exposure to the hot air.
We would like to thank our readers for sending e-mails and letters during the publication of the Gohan Lab articles. Our ongoing goal is to post articles that will be useful in your kitchen.
* * *
This is the last translated article from Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column.