Tamago Kake Gohan is a dish boasting immense popularity in Japan, requiring nothing more than egg, rice, and soy sauce. Despite its simplicity and ease of preparation, it allows you to enjoy the rich, full-bodied flavor of egg.
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What is Tamago Kake Gohan?
Tamago Kake Gohan is a dish made by mixing an egg on top of rice, seasoned with soy sauce. "Tamago" means eggs, "Kake" refers to pouring, and "Gohan" stands for cooked rice. It is also abbreviated as 'TKG,' taking the initials of its name. Easy to prepare and delicious, it is not only suitable for everyday meals but also perfect when you are short on side dishes or feeling a bit peckish.
In Japan, this dish is an immensely popular, and its popularity is not limited to households; there are numerous specialty restaurants dedicated to tamago kake gohan. It even occasionally appears in top-class traditional Japanese restaurants.
For this dish, while regular soy sauce works fine, using dashi soy sauce enhances the flavor profile. Additionally, since it is a simple dish, the taste of the egg directly affects the overall flavor, making it advisable to use fresh, high-quality eggs if possible.
Understanding the eggs to be used
Tamago kake gohan is immensely popular in Japan, but some readers might have reservations. This is because this dish typically uses raw eggs, consumed without any heating involved.
Yes, you heard it right, tamago kake gohan is eaten with eggs in their raw state! It might be hard to believe, but in Japan, eggs safe to eat are commonly available, and there is a culture of consuming raw eggs, similar to eating raw fish in sushi.
If you are hesitant about consuming eggs raw, think of spaghetti carbonara. Carbonara is a pasta dish that uses raw eggs in the sauce, and tamago kake gohan can be considered its rice counterpart.
The combination of raw egg, rice, and soy sauce creates a perfect harmony, offering a delicious flavor that has captivated many Japanese. If you can get your hands on safe eggs, I encourage you to dare and give it a try.
Variations in preparing
Tamago kake gohan is such a simple dish that various ways of preparing it have been devised, as follows:
- Cracking an egg over the rice and mixing everything together: this is the most common and popular method.
- Using only an egg yolk instead of a whole egg: you can enjoy the richer flavor of the egg.
- Beating an egg in a bowl and then pouring it over the rice: this way allows you to thoroughly mix the egg.
- Seasoning the rice with soy sauce and mixing it before pouring a beaten egg over it: with this method, you can enjoy the richness of the egg, the flavor of soy sauce, and the sweetness of rice in sequence because the egg coats the soy sauce-flavored rice.
- Whisking only the egg white thoroughly, then placing it on top of the rice with the yolk: this allows you to enjoy the airy texture of the egg white.
By altering the cooking process while using the same ingredients, you can enjoy this dish with various flavors and textures.
Personally, I still prefer the simple method of cracking an egg over the rice. It is effortless and delicious! Although the method of whisking only the egg white is not common in households due to the effort involved, I was impressed when I first tried it at a specialty tamago kake gohan restaurant. After trying the typical method in the recipe, I encourage you to explore and enjoy the differences through various methods.
Exploring toppings
In Japan, tamago kake gohan consists of just egg, rice, and soy sauce, and it is not common to add toppings. If anything is added, it is usually something like bonito flakes (katsuobushi), green onions (scallions), or shredded nori seaweed.
However, outside of Japan, it seems more common to enjoy it with various toppings. When I searched for "tamago kake gohan" on Google USA, I was surprised to find many recipes that incorporate toppings not commonly seen in Japan. These variations differ from the traditional Japanese one, but they might offer a taste experience that appeals to those outside of Japan. If you are interested in enjoying this dish from a different perspective, it might be worth trying out these variations.
📋Step-by-step recipe
Ingredients
- 5.6 oz cooked Japanese white rice
- 1 pasteurized egg
- ½ Tbsp dashi soy sauce or regular soy sauce
Instructions
🕒 Total: 1 min
Step 1
Serve rice in a bowl and crack an egg on top. Add dashi soy sauce (or regular soy sauce) and thoroughly mix everything together.
To Store
Consume it on the same day.
Crucial note
This dish is not suitable for pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems, such as elderly individuals or infants under the age of 2, as the eggs are not cooked. Please refrain from consuming it if you fall into these categories.
Recipe card
Tamago Kake Gohan (Rice Mixed with Raw Egg)
Ingredients
- 5.6 oz cooked Japanese white rice
- 1 pasteurized egg
- ½ Tbsp dashi soy sauce or regular soy sauce
Instructions
- Serve rice in a bowl and crack an egg on top. Add dashi soy sauce (or regular soy sauce) and thoroughly mix everything together.
Notes
- Consume it on the same day.
- This dish is not suitable for pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems, such as elderly individuals or infants under the age of 2, as the eggs are not cooked. Please refrain from consuming it if you fall into these categories.
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