The flavors of farm fresh eggs are front and center in this Japanese rolled omelet

My son recently came home from his grandmother’s house proudly carrying a red bucket. He smiled as he showed me his precious cargo: the first egg laid by the family’s new chicken.

Over the summer and fall, we’ve watched the girls grow from shy, delicate chicks into the lovely, friendly ladies they are today, and now they’re starting to offer us their eggs for our table – sometimes all six in one day. My in-laws could never keep up with their production on their own, so we’ve been receiving sporadic shipments of fresh eggs ever since (yes, I know I’m spoiled).

Unpasteurized eggs are tastier and slightly more nutritious than store-bought eggs (the pasteurization process destroys some of the beneficial nutrients in eggs) but you should be careful when preparing them.

Under no circumstances should you eat undercooked or unpasteurized eggs, nor runny yolks or raw egg sauces or dressings. Fresh eggs can be used in almost any application in which you would use store-bought eggs, but I love using these precious eggs in dishes that put their flavor at the forefront.

This Japanese-style rolled omelette is an excellent lunch protein and is commonly found in bento boxes alongside fresh rice and side dishes.

A special rectangular frying pan is often used to make it, but you can make it in a large regular non-stick frying pan just as easily – all you have to do is cut off (and eat) the pointy ends if presentation is important to you. Dashi stock is usually added to eggs for flavor, but chicken stock works well. A little sugar gives a distinctive sweet touch to these eggs, but you can skip the sugar if you like.

Tomagoyaki

ingredients:

6 eggs

1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar (optional but recommended)

3 tablespoons dashi broth (or chicken broth)

Neutral oil to lubricate the pan

directione:

Beat the eggs well with the sugar, soy sauce and stock or broth. It is important that there are no lumps or irregularities in the eggs for the final texture and appearance, so beat the mixture until it becomes a smooth liquid.

Leave the eggs for 5 minutes until any bubbles resulting from the mixing process dissipate.

Heat the non-stick frying pan over medium heat. It is important to control the heat and not keep it above average.

Lightly grease the pan before pouring in enough eggs to cover the bottom.

Let it cook until you can put a rubber spatula under the edges.

Carefully fold the edge over and begin rolling the egg down until it is rolled halfway.

Beat the eggs, making sure to keep the unwrapped part attached to the edge of the pan.

Pour enough eggs to cover the bottom of the pan again.

Let this part cook a little before continuing to roll.

Continue this process until all the eggs are used.

Roll the omelet all the way into a log and then carefully flip it over and cook on all four sides for just a few minutes to finish cooking.

Remove from the pan and allow to cool before cutting into thin slices.

Serve with steamed rice, vegetables and fruits for a healthy lunch.