In Ivan Orkin’s new cookbook, Ivan Ramen, his shio ramen recipe spans 41 pages. I repeat, 41 pages. It’s not exactly a weeknight recipe, but also not impossible. Evan Kleiman writes,
“Wouldn’t it be fantastic to do The Bowl as a group project with friends who love to cook? You can match assigned tasks to particular abilities and personality traits. For example, that friend you have who is a total perfectionist and slavish recipe follower? He or she can make the broth. I would (of course) make the noodles. Then the simpler components can be farmed out to friends with less time or ability. You set a date for bringing it all together and have an Ivan Ramen bowl extravaganza.”
Well yes – that would be fantastic; but if it’s a casual Sunday night and you’ve made some dashi (inspired by listening to Good Food of course) then this Dashi Maki Tamago will do the trick. If you’re one of those slavish recipes followers and require a square omelet pan you can pick one up at the new Muji store in Hollywood.
Dashi Maki Tamago
From Ivan Orkin’s Ivan Ramen.
This fluffy, layered, slightly sweet omelet is served in market stalls throughout Japan, and has an important place on the table at New Year’s Day celebratory feasts. The omelet is a mixture of eggs, dashi, and soy sauce, cooked in a rectangular pan in thin layers that are rolled up over one another. You can find a rectangular pan in a Japanese market, but don’t kill yourself over it—you can still make a fine omelet in a round skillet.
Makes 1 omelet
3 large eggs
5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) soy sauce, plus additional for serving
20 grams (11⁄2 tablespoons) sugar
90 milliliters (6 tablespoons) dashi
Vegetable oil spray
80 grams (1⁄2 cup) grated peeled daikon, for serving
1. In a bowl, thoroughly whisk together the eggs, soy sauce, sugar, and dashi. Set aside.
2. Heat a small nonstick skillet (preferably a rectangular one) over medium-low heat and spray with oil. Pour in just enough egg mixture to coat the bottom of the pan. When the egg is half set, use a rubber spatula or a pair of chopsticks to begin folding it over on itself, starting at the side closest to you with a fold of about 2 centimeters (3/4 inch). Continue folding/rolling until you reach the end of the pan.
3. Pour more egg mixture into the empty side of the pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Lift the already-rolled omelet to allow some of the uncooked egg mixture to run underneath. Repeat the rolling procedure, this time beginning with the other end, so you’re rolling the second omelet around the first. Keep the heat low enough that the egg is not becoming crisp and brown, but rather stay- ing soft and creamy.
4. Repeat step 3 until you’ve used all your egg mixture or the omelet is too big to roll. (This will depend on the size of the pan you’ve chosen.)
5. Turn the omelet out onto a plate and allow it to cool and set. If you have a bamboo sushi roller, wrap it in plastic wrap, roll the omelet inside, and exert a little pressure to form the omelet into a perfect rectangular shape. In lieu of a bamboo roller, you could use a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
6. Once the omelet has cooled to room temperature, cut it in 2-centimeter (1-inch) slices and serve with grated daikon drizzled with soy sauce.