Many Japanese home meals are centered on eggs. We love our ramen eggs (eggs marinated in soy sauce mixture), tamagoyaki (omelette grilled in a special pan), onsen tamago (poached eggs in hot spring temperature), egg tofu, and more. Here’s another amazing thing to do with eggs: use as a brilliant garnish to bring life and vibrancy to a dish. Like these golden ribbons of egg crepe called Kinshi Tamago (錦糸卵)! In this post, you will learn two Japanese preparations of eggs – Kinshi Tamago (錦糸卵) and Usuyaki Tamago (薄焼き卵).
What is Kinshi Tamago
Eggs are called Tamago in Japanese, and Kinshi Tamago (錦糸卵) refers to shredded egg crepe garnish that you may have seen in dishes such as Chirashi Sushi and Hiyashi Chuka. When added to a dish or a bento box, the bright yellow of these egg ribbons pops and catches your attention. It adds a layer of color and texture, and as a result enhancing the overall presentation of your meal. It’s slightly sweet so children often love Kinshi Tamgo in their rice or noodle dishes. Moms (and dads) love it because the eggs add extra protein. To make Kinshi Tamago, you will first need to make Usuyaki Tamago.
What is Usuyaki Tamago
Usuyaki Tamago (薄焼き卵) is basically a paper-thin omelette or egg crepe before it’s shredded into thin strips of Kinshi Tamago. We also use Usuyaki Tamago to wrap sushi rice for Temari Sushi.
How to Make Kinshi Tamago
Ingredients You’ll Need
EggsMirinSaltPotato starch (cornstarch) + water
Kinshi Tamago has a gentle sweetness to it. You can either use mirin or sugar to sweeten the egg. I used mirin for its mild sweetness and the liquid yields a slightly thinner texture.
Overview: Cooking Steps
Beat the eggs and strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.Add the sesaoning and the slurry mixture. Make egg crepes (See the instructions below for tips).Let cool then cut into thin julienned strips.Ready to garnish your dish!
Tips to Make Kinshi Tamago
With chopsticks, beat the eggs vigorously until the egg whites are broken up. Strain the egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to get a smooth texture.Add potato starch (or cornstarch) to the egg mixture to prevent the egg crepe from breaking easily. Instead of adding it directly to the egg mixture, make a slurry mixture with water first. The liquid form of potato starch is much easier to combine with the egg mixture. Potato starch gives enough elasticity to make a thin crepe.Cool the frying pan with a wet towel before adding the egg mixture. When you heat a frying pan, it gets hot spots which brown the egg. To make a nice bright yellow egg crepe, you want to avoid hot spots. The wet towel will bring the hot pan to even temperature. Wash the towel between batches to keep it cool. Swirl the pan to spread the egg mixture quickly and cover the pan with a lid. The lid will keep enough heat to cook the surface of the thin egg mixture. The shredded egg crepe can be kept frozen for 4 weeks, so you can make ahead, portion it out into small batches, and defrost to use it anytime you need to bring some colors to the otherwise dull-looking or brownish dishes!
Recipes To Use Kinshi Tamago
Chirashi Sushi Hiyashi Chuka Temari Sushi
Practice Makes Perfect
It’s not hard to make the perfect Usuyaki Tamago but if it’s your first time trying, you probably need to practice a few times. The thinness of the crepe is key and you will get the hang of it once you learn the ideal ratio of egg mixture for your frying pan. Have fun making these gorgeous egg crepe and ribbons!
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 1, 2012. The images and blog content have been updated in July 2021. They’ve been in business for over forty years and all the sashimi products we’ve tried from them are outstanding. Use J1COOK20 for 10% discount. Disclosure: We earn a small percentage commission from your purchase of products linked to Catalina Offshore.
