Shrimp And Mountain Yam Tamago Recipe

One day in our conference room up in the sky, we got to talking about food cultures we all loved but wanted to know more about. With that, the idea of Around The World In 5 Editors was born. Each day this week, one of the editors breaks in with a lineup of stories, recipes, interviews and personal essays dedicated to their respective country. In honor of today's focus on Japanese cuisine, here is a recipe for tamago.

Tamago, or "grilled egg," is a type of Japanese omelet. It can be served with rice and seaweed as nigiri (pictured above) and is often enjoyed as a bridge between savory and sweet courses during a sushi meal. While preparing tamago can be as simple as combining eggs, rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce and cooking over low heat, the additions of Japanese mountain yam and shrimp impart a savory element and form more of a custard texture. A particularly well-made piece of tamago can even bring one to tears. Just watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Shrimp And Mountain Yam Tamago Recipe
No Ratings
Prep Time
15
minutes
Cook Time
10
minutes
Servings
4
Yams, shrimp and eggs are ground with brown sugar to create this Japanese flavor bomb.
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
  • 7 eggs
  • 3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 7 ounces yama emo (Japanese mountain yams)
  • touch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon mirin
  • 9 ounces shrimp (can be substituted with shrimp paste)
Directions
  1. Peel and wash the shrimp.
  2. Grind using a mortar and pestle.
  3. Add yama emo.
  4. Mix in the eggs one by one.
  5. Add remaining ingredients.
  6. Pour mixture into pan and cook on very low flame.
  7. Cover the pan to allow tamago to cook through without burning, checking constantly to not overcook.
  8. Carefully flip over once and cook until tamago reaches a light, custard-like texture. 
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