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Tamagoyaki Frittata
Tamagoyaki is a favorite Japanese lunch box item, often found in purchased bento boxes or made by a home cook for school lunches. Dashi flavored thin, delicate layers of cooked egg are rolled together to make a large fluffy omelet. It’s deeply savory from the dashi and all kinds of yummy things can be added just like in the omelets you may be more familiar with. Because it can be served warm, cold, or room temperature, tamagoyaki is a versatile side dish that can be served at any meal or just enjoyed as a quick snack.
And while I love its umami rich goodness, it can be a little labor intensive for my regular meal rotation. Although the prepping of ingredients is quick and simple, the cooking technique is not. A square pan, which I’m sure you all have, is heated and oiled, and then a small amount of the egg mixture is poured into the pan. The thin egg crepe is rolled and then the process is repeated over and over again until you’ve created a thick egg omelette about the size of a brick. It’s delicious and impressive, but it’s completely hands on and requires a lot of delicate work. And thus my Tamagoyaki Frittata was born. All the flavor I love with a straightforward process that lets me enjoy it far more often. Brunch, supper, leftovers for lunch…this does it all, so let’s get into it.
Making Tamagoyaki Frittata
If you’ve made any type of frittata before, the process will be very familiar. What may be new is the addition of super savory ingredients like dashi stock, mirin, and soy sauce that give it a decidedly Japanese twist. You can make my homemade dashi and use it for this, or you can use dashi powder. I like to add crabsticks and scallions too.
Have you ever had a frittata and it’s a thin and rubbery dissapointment? The trick is to use the correct number of eggs for the pan and not to overcook it. I also use a moderately hot oven, which protects the eggs a bit; eggs cook better at lower temperatures. So a good rule of thumb is to use the same number of eggs as the size of the pan. Today, I’m using an 8 inch skillet so I will be using 8 eggs. Once you pour the mixture into the pan, you might be a little scared that it will overflow, but fear not. This is the correct amount, and you will get a nice fluffy, thick Tamagoyaki Frittata that’s insta-worthy.
Another tip, take care not to overbeat the eggs; too much air whipped into the eggs will result in a dry and spongy texture instead of the fluffy delight we’re going for.
Bake in the center of the oven until it’s puffed up and the center is set, 15-20 minutes.
Use a spatula to loosen the edges and turn it out onto a cutting board or serving plate.
The beauty of this Tamagoyaki Frittata is that it’s insanely delicious right out of the oven, or at room temperature, or cold right out of the fridge! It’s perfect for a family dinner or hosting a brunch. Serve it alongside Korean Cucumber Salad for an easy meal everyone will love.
Love eggs as much as I do? Check out my Egg Soufflé, Soy Eggs, and this awesome Soboro Beef Bowl!
Tamagoyaki Frittata
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: snacks
- Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 large eggs
- 8 Tablespoons (½ cup) dashi (I used katsuobushi and kombu combo but you can use another kind)
- 6 crabsticks
- 2 scallions, trimmed and minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon mirin
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 and move the shelf to the middle rack of the oven.
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the dashi, salt, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to the bowl and stir well to combine. (If you are using a whip, try not to incorporate too much air into your eggs. You want to mix it, not beat it.)
- Cut the crab sticks in half and then pull them apart into shreds with your hands. Set it aside.
- Heat an 8” non stick or seasoned cast iron skillet over medium high heat for several minutes. Add the neutral oil and swirl it around the pan to coat the surface.
- Sprinkle the crab and scallion evenly over the skillet and then pour the eggs into the skillet.
- Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the center is just set (it’s fine if it’s still slightly jiggly but you do not want it to be liquidy) and the egg has puffed up kind of like a souffle.
- Run a thin spatula around the edges of the frittata to free any sticky bits and then turn it out onto a cutting board.
- Cut the frittata into 8 wedges and serve immediately.
Notes
*Tamagoyaki frittata is good warm, room temperature, or cold
* You can also use 1 teaspoon of dashi powder mixed with ½ cup of water or use a dashi packet and simmer it with 1 ½ cups of water (using only ½ cup for the recipe)
Keywords: brunch, eggs, tamagoyaki, japanese
Thai Chicken Fried Rice
Hard to believe but summer is already winding down to a close, with lots of kids heading back to school next week. To ease you back into the daily grind, I’m sharing one of my easiest and fastest meals, Thai Chicken Fried Rice. It makes excellent use of leftovers; so excellent in fact that you’ll find yourself making extra batches of both rice and chicken so they will be on hand for this speedy family favorite. What makes this dish Thai? I use Jasmine rice, season it with a pop of funky fish sauce, and as a finishing touch I serve it with prik nam pla, the fiery hot sauce I shared last week. Some chopped cilantro, a couple slices of crunchy cooling cucumber, and a squeeze of fresh lime… it’s a feast of flavors in a simple little meal that you can make faster than you can say homework battles and soccer practice.
Leftovers Make Thai Chicken Fried Rice Magic!
One of the things I most love about this recipe is that it uses leftover, chilled rice (read about how chilled rice makes the best fried rice here) and also leftover chicken. You have some roast chicken from Sunday’s dinner in the fridge? Perfect! You can even use a store bought rotisserie chicken. Really any kind of leftover chicken will work. If your chicken was made with spices/herbs, you can give it a quick rinse and no one will be the wiser! Using up these leftovers isn’t just economical, it means your Thai Chicken Fried Rice is ready in less than 15 minutes. I start by prepping the garlic and scallions. Like all quick stir fried dishes, it is best to have all your ingredients measured and prepped before beginning.
I can’t say enough good things about cold rice in the fridge. It’s the Asian equivalent of sliced bread in the cabinet: a true staple and workhorse that’s always ready when hunger strikes. Not only can you count on it as a side for quick weeknight meals and fried rices, but it’s perfect for mid-day snacks with a little furikake or topped with a fried egg (insert link here). Since it stays fresh for several days, it’s handy to always have some.
One quick tip about using cold rice: it’s clumpy and in order to heat it evenly and thoroughly, you need to help it along. So use clean wet hands and use your fingers to gently crumble it until all of the lumps are broken up.
Have all of your ingredients right by the stove because you are adding oil and garlic in a smoking hot pan and garlic goes from golden brown to burnt in seconds. Keep a close eye because you will be be tossing in the chicken and in just a few seconds.
Once you add the chicken and rice, you want to use a pressing motion to sear the rice along the sides of the pan before scraping it off and mixing it back in. Searing the rice gives it that authentic flavor that is the hallmark of good restaurant fried rice. Cold rice tends to stick to the pan, but as it heats up, it will be easier to work with so just keep pressing, searing, and scraping.
Once the flavorings are added, give it another minute to fully absorb the fish sauce and then you’re done.
I like to serve my Thai Chicken Fried Rice garnished with some lime, cilantro and sliced cucumber and pass around the prik nam pla so everyone can make theirs as spicy as their heart desires.
Thai Chicken Fried Rice is the perfect meal for a busy school/work night, and I hope everyone at your table loves it! Leave a comment and let me know what you think, and of course tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
If you love Thai food as much we do try some of our other popular recipes like this Green Curry Tofu or Tamarind Shrimp.
Thai Chicken Fried Rice
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 Tablespoons neutral oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounces cooked chicken (about 1 ½ cups roasted, grilled, or even poached is fine)
- 3 cups cold cooked rice (preferably Jasmine or a medium grain)
- 2 scallions
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- Ground black pepper
Garnishes:
- 1 persian cucumber trimmed and sliced
- 1 handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 lime wedges
- *Thai Fish Sauce With Hot Chiles
Instructions
- Trim and mince the scallions, then set aside.
- Separate the rice with wet hands or a fork so that you don’t have any large clumps and set aside.
- Heat a wok or wok pan over high heat for several minutes until very hot and smoking.
- Add the oil and the garlic. Swirl the garlic in the oil for a couple of seconds until lightly golden.
- Add the chicken and stir fry for a minute, mixing it well.
- Add the rice and keep stir frying for a couple of minutes, pressing the rice into the sides of the pan to sear it and then scraping it off and mixing it back in. It may stick to the sides of the pan at first but it will become less sticky as it cooks.
- Turn off the heat and add the scallions, fish sauce, and ground black pepper to taste. Turn the heat back on and continue cooking for another minute.
- Transfer Thai Chicken Fried Rice to a platter or individual plates. Garnish with the cucumbers, cilantro, and lime wedges.
- Serve with the chile fish sauce on the side for additional seasoning.
Keywords: thai, fried rice, chicken, khao phat gai, fast, spicy,
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