Easy Bean Sprout (moyashi) Omlete Recipe

Japanese bean sprouts (moyashi) are an extremely inexpensive and nutritious vegetable used in many Japanese recipes. Here's a simple omlete you can make.

Ingredients: 

• 1-2 slices of sandwich ham
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 onion
• handful of bean sprouts
• milk
• salt
• soy sauce

Directions:

1. Dice the onion and ham. 
2. Saute onion and ham in a pan on medium heat with a little cooking oil. Add salt
3. When onion is tender add the bean sprouts with about 1/4 cup water. and steam.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, add a little milk and a dash of soy sauce.
5. Add mixture to the pan cook everything into an omlete, turning occasionally until done.
6. Serve with rice and ketchup if desired.

Egg Drop Soup Recipe(Kakitama-jiru)

Japanese egg drop soup/ kakitama-jiru(かきたま汁) is a simple egg soup recipe that anyone can make. The taste is light and natural, great for dieters or people trying to detox.  Here's a simple recipe you can try at home. This is the basic recipe, you could also add chopped shitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, or beans.

Serves 4     79 cal./serving








Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. sake
• 3-1/2 cups bonito stock
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 rounded spoon finely chopped green onion tops
• 4 tiny pieces lemon or lemon zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, sake, and pinch of salt in a bowl. Beat, frothing as little as possible. 
2. Bring bonito stock to a boil over medium heat. Add salt and soy sauce, then simmer.
3. Mix cornstarch with 2 Tbsp. water, then blend evenly into soup, stirring constantly.
4. While beating egg, pour into soup. Do not stir soup!  When egg has completely set, remove from heat. 
5. Serve with garnish of chopped onions and sliver of zest.

Savory Dinner Egg Custard (Chawan-Mushi) Recipe

Chawan-mushi(茶碗蒸し) is a savory dinner custard that has a delicate and rich taste. Served hot or cold, this is a favorite side dish in Japanese cuisine, especially when part of a course meal, but it can be enjoyed anytime. The main ingredients here are chicken, shrimp, and shitake mushrooms, but other common ingredients include ham, bamboo shoots, and kamaboko, a kind of fish paste cake.

It s traditionally served in a chawan, a special ceramic cup especially for this dish with a small lid, however, any heat resistant cup or mug is fine. There are 2 cooking options below, traditional steaming or using an oven.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 4 oz.(115g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 8 small raw shrimp(prawns)
• 2 leaves spinach or 4 snow peas
• 4 dried shitake mushrooms
• 1tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sake
• salt and sake for shrimp

Seasoning

• 2 cups dashi stock(bonito is best)
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. mirin
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

(Preparation)

1. Soak dried shitake mushrooms in water for about an hour until soft. Dried shitake float, so you can keep them under the water with a pan lid or dish. Drain mushrooms, cut off and discard stems and cut a decorative "X" on top of each mushroom.
2. Combine seasoning ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Remove any fat from chicken breast and cut into 8 small pieces. Mix sake and soy sauce and sprinkle over chicken.
4. Shell and de-vein shrimp. Sprinkle with salt and sake.
5. Blanch spinach in boiling water and cut into 2 inch(5cm) pieces. For snow peas, after blanching, cut in half.
6. Beat eggs lightly, trying not to make it frothy. Mix in cooled seasoning broth and strain through a cheesecloth.

(Cooking)

1. Divide the mixture between 4 chawan cups if you have them, or other heat resistant cups or mugs. Add chicken , shrimp, and vegetables. Place a mushroom cap on top. The cups should b about 7/10 full.
2. Stove top method-Place cups in a steamer or pan with water. Cups should be covered. Chawan cups have a ceramic lid, otherwise cover with a towel or aluminum foil, poke a hole in the foil. Cover pan and steam for 2 minutes on high heat, then reduce heat to low and steam for another 15 minutes. A toothpick will come out clean when done.
3. Oven method-Preheat oven to 400°F(205ºC). Cover cups with foil and make a hole. Place cups in a deep pan with boiling water. The water should be to a level of about 1/3 the height of the cups. Cook for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 360°F(180ºC) and cook for another 15 minutes. 
4. Ideally, shrimp and another ingredient will be peeping out from the top. Serve hot or chilled.

Japanese Rolled Omelet(Tamago-yaki) Recipe with Video

Just as Americans love their scrambled eggs, the Japanese love tamago-yaki(卵焼き), a rolled omelet. It's lightly cooked, not to brown and has a sweet taste. It's usually cooked in a special square or rectangular frying pan especially for tamago-yaki, but any frying pan will do. It takes a little practice, but is not difficult to make.

Basically, you're going to add about 1/3 of the egg mixture at a time, roll up the cooked egg sheet and add more mixture. The key is to keep the pan moving and run an oil soaked cloth over the pan at each stage to keep the egg from burning. Below the recipe is a really good instructional video showing how it's made. After you've had a little practice, you can experiment by adding other ingredients like chopped carrots, tuna, or cheese.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dashi stock
• a dash of salt

Directions:

1. Beat the eggs lightly with all the ingredients.
2. Heat the pan and coat the surface with an oil soaked cloth.
3. Pour in about 1/3 of the mixture, lightly cook the egg into a sheet and roll it up.
4. Run the oil cloth over the pan an push the egg roll to the top of the pan. Brush oil over the bottom part.
5. Add another 1/3 of the mixture making sure it gets under the egg roll and roll up again. Repeat this process with all the mixture.
6. Remove your rolled egg cake and cut into thin slices and serve.