Tamago Sushi Recipe

Tamago Sushi (卵寿司) is Sushi Rice topped with sliced cooked egg and wrapped around with a strip of Nori seaweed.  It is suppose to be a very popular kind of  Sushi among kids and people who don’t eat raw fish, but really, this sweet Tamago Sushi is loved by almost everyone.

Cooked egg for Tamago Sushi is made just like Tamagoyaki (rolled omelette) but tastes much sweeter.  While Tamagoyaki is seasoned vastly different depending on households, some more salty or more sweet, the egg made for Sushi is most likely very sweet.  Both of us didn’t grow up with sweet Tamagoyaki, but Tamago Sushi was always with heavily sweetened cooked egg for us too.  You may already know if you have had Tamago Sushi at Japanese restaurants before, the combination of sweet egg and vinegary Sushi Rice is very good together.

We are not Sushi chefs by any means, and in terms of making Nigiri Sushi (small Sushi pieces as opposed to rolled Sushi), we are as novice as anyone else.  It is a very special and acquired skill to make good sushi pieces, from shaping rice to preparing fish.  When you make a Sushi rice ball, your hands need to be damp enough so that rice balls can be formed without difficulty (yes, we had to practice more than a few times).  If your hands are too dry, the rice will stick everywhere; too wet, and it cannot hold its shape and falls apart.  To be able to smoothly make Sushi, Sushi chefs use a vinegary water called Tezu, and put just the right amount on their hands as they work.  Tezu will prevent rice from sticking, but it doesn’t dilute the flavor of Sushi Rice.  If that’s all too much, you can buy sushi molds, and sushi balls can be made just by pressing.  They’re easy to find at Japanese stores or online shops.

There will be some leftover Sushi Rice after making Tamago Sushi (we used less than half from 1 recipe of Sushi Rice) , so you may want to get other ingredients or filling ready for more Nigiri Sushi or Hand Rolls so the rice is not wasted.  Sushi Rice will get hard and it’s not really tasty after being refrigerated.  You can make the whole thing by yourself, or get other family members involved to make Sushi.  You may need a little practice (it doesn’t have to be perfect), but it is pretty cool to be able to make Sushi at home!

Print Recipe

4.60 from 10 votes

Tamago Sushi

Prep Time1 hour hr

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: egg, sushi

Servings: 12 pieces

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp Mirin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp Rice Vinegar
• 4 eggs
• oil
• Nori
• 1 recipe of Sushi Rice
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• Soy Sauce optional
• Wasabi optional

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine water (2 Tbsp), sugar, mirin, salt, and rice vinegar (1/4 tsp). Mix until sugar is dissolved. Add eggs, and mix very well.
• Heat a pan at medium high temperature and add oil. (A rectangular Tamagoyaki pan is best, but a round pan can work as well.)
• Pour a thin layer of the egg mixture in the pan, tilting to cover the bottom of the pan. After the thin egg has set a little, gently roll into a log. Start to roll when the bottom of the egg has set and there is still liquid on top. If you let the egg cook too much, it will not stick as you roll the log. Now you have a log at one end of the pan. Add oil as needed. Pour more egg mixture to again cover the bottom of the pan, with the roll of egg at the end. After the new layer has set, roll the log back onto the set egg and roll to the other end of the pan.
• Repeat adding egg to the pan and rolling back and forth until the egg is used up. Remove from the pan and cool completely.
• Cut the egg log in half. Then slice 1/4″ thick (6-7 mm) vertical slices, and get at least 12 pieces. Set aside.
• Cut Nori into 5″ x 1/3″ (about 13 cm x 1 cm) strips. Set aside.
• Mix 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Lightly wet or dampen hands with the vinegar mixture, and take a golf ball size piece of Sushi rice (about 2/3 oz or 20 g). Form into an oblong shape. Repeat to make 12 pieces. Top each rice ball with a slice of egg, and wrap around with Nori strips. Serve with Soy Sauce and Wasabi for dipping if you like.

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