Japanese Egg Tofu (Tamago Tofu) in Teriyaki Sauce

What’s Japanese Egg Tofu?

Japanese Egg Tofu, also known as Tamago Tofu, is made from egg and dashi (だし, 出汁, Japanese soup stock). It tastes like savory silken tofu without bean taste, since there’s no soybean used in making egg tofu.

Japanese egg tofu is usually sold in tube-shape packages. You can easily make it at home (here’s a homemade Japanese egg tofu recipe from Japanese Cooking 101: Tamago Tofu Recipe).

Is Egg Tofu Healthy?

YES, egg tofu is basically steamed egg, which is a high-protein and low-calorie food: only 70 calories per serving (85g). 

In this recipe, we are going to wrap the egg tofu with sushi nori, pan fry it until golden, then coat it with sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.

It’s going to be a healthy, beautiful and flavorful dish which goes perfectly with white rice in a lunch bento!

I used nori sheet and cheese slices to made some face expressions. Do they look like minions?😊😜

How to make teriyaki sauce at home

Teriyaki sauce is a must-have condiment if you like to cook Japanese food.

This sweet, savory, and sticky sauce goes well with chicken, salmon, eggplants, and of course, egg tofu!

You can make authentic teriyaki sauce at home with 4 simple ingredients: soy sauce, sake (Japanese rice wine), mirin, and sugar.

Simply combine them at a ratio of 2:2:2:1. 

 

Mirin is similar to sake, but has a lower in alcohol level, a thicken texture, and a sweeter taste.

If you can’t find mirin nearby, you can substitute it with 3 portions of sake and 1 portion of sugar. 

You can add ½ tsp of cornstarch to the sauce to make the food stickier and shinier.

Since we’ve already coated the egg tofu pieces with cornstarch, we don’t need to add extra cornstarch into the teriyaki sauce.

 

How to Make a cute Japanese Egg Tofu bento at home

EQUIPMENT

• 1 skillet

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tubes egg tofu
• 2 sushi nori sheets
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp mirin

• 2 tbsp sake

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add sauce ingredients (soy sauce, water, sugar, mirin, sake) to a small bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Set aside.

2. Cut 2 egg tofu tubes into half, squeeze the egg tofu out from the package, cut into thumb-thick (about 2 cm thick) circular disks.

3. Cut 2 sheets of sushi nori into several 2 cm wide strips.

4. Wrap each piece of egg tofu with one nori strip.

5. Add ½ cup of cornstarch to a shallow bowl. Coat each piece of egg tofu with a thin and even layer of cornstarch.

6. Add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet, heat up the oil with medium heat. Add egg tofu pieces to the skillet. Pan fry each side until golden.

7. Pour the sauce over the egg tofu pieces. Thicken the sauce over medium heat.

8. Carefully flip each piece of egg tofu so that they are evenly coated with the sauce.

9. Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, turn off the heat and transfer the egg tofu on a serving plate.

10. Optionally decorate with green onions or sesame seeds. Serve hot with rice.

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