Tamago Kake Gohan (Rice Mixed with Raw Egg)

Tamago Kake Gohan is an easy-to-make dish that is hugely popular in Japan, requiring nothing more than an egg, rice, and soy sauce. Despite its simplicity and ease of preparation, it allows you to enjoy the delightful combination of the egg’s richness and the umami of soy sauce.

Tamago Kake Gohan is a simple dish made by mixing a raw egg with rice and seasoning it with soy sauce. "Tamago" means egg, "Kake" refers to pouring, and "Gohan" means cooked rice. It is sometimes abbreviated as "TKG," taken from 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 just a little hungry.

This dish is incredibly popular in Japan, and its appeal is not limited to home cooking; there are even numerous specialty restaurants dedicated to tamago kake gohan. It occasionally appears on the menu at high-end traditional Japanese restaurants as well.

As for the soy sauce, while regular soy sauce works fine, using dashi soy sauce enhances the flavor profile. Additionally, since it is such a simple dish, the quality of the egg has a significant impact on the overall flavor, so it is best to use fresh, high-quality eggs if possible.

Tamago kake gohan is immensely popular in Japan, but some of you might have reservations about it, as this dish involves eating raw eggs—something that is uncommon in many countries.

It might be hard to believe, but in Japan—where eggs safe for raw consumption are widely available—there is a culture of eating raw eggs, much like eating raw fish in sushi.

If you are hesitant about eating raw eggs, think of spaghetti carbonara. Carbonara is a pasta dish that uses raw egg to create a creamy sauce, and tamago kake gohan could be considered its rice-based counterpart.

The combination of raw egg, rice, and soy sauce creates a harmonious blend of flavors that has captivated many Japanese people. If you have access to safe eggs, go ahead and give it a try.

This dish is known for being easy to make, but the way people prepare it can vary quite a bit. By changing the method while using the same ingredients, you can enjoy slightly different flavors and textures. Here are some common ways to prepare it:

• Crack an egg over the rice, pour soy sauce on top, and then mix everything together: this is the most common and popular method.
• Use only the egg yolk instead of the whole egg: this version offers a more concentrated egg flavor.
• Beat an egg in a bowl, then pour it over the rice: this method allows for a more thorough mix.
• Season the rice with soy sauce and mix it before pouring a beaten egg over it: with this method, you can enjoy the richness of the egg, the umami of soy sauce, and the sweetness of the rice in sequence, as the egg coats the seasoned rice.
• Whisk only the egg white thoroughly, then place it on top of the rice with the yolk intact: this creates a light, airy texture from the egg white.

Personally, I still prefer the simplest method: cracking an egg over the rice. It's effortless and delicious.

Although whisking only the egg white is uncommon in most households due to the effort involved, I was impressed when I first tried it at a specialty tamago kake gohan restaurant. So, after trying the basic method in this recipe, it might be interesting to explore and enjoy the differences among the various approaches.

Tamago kake gohan consists of just an egg, rice, and soy sauce, and it is not very common to add toppings. If anything is added, it is usually something like bonito flakes (katsuobushi).

However, outside of Japan, it seems more common to enjoy it with various toppings. When I searched for "tamago kake gohan" on Google (the U.S. site), I was surprised to find many recipes that include toppings not typically seen in Japan.

These variations differ from the traditional Japanese version, but they might offer a flavor experience that appeals to people outside of Japan. If you are interested in enjoying the dish from a different perspective, it might be worth trying these variations.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1
Serve cooked rice in an individual bowl and crack an egg on top. Add dashi soy sauce (or regular soy sauce), then mix everything together thoroughly.

To store

This dish is not suitable for storage. Please consume it as soon as possible.

This dish is not suitable for pregnant women or those with weakened immune systems, such as older adults or children under 2 years old, as the eggs are not cooked. Please avoid consuming it if you belong to any of these groups.