🍳 Tamago nigiri
Tamago nigiri is vinegared sushi rice topped with a thick slice of sweet rolled omelette, often tied on with a thin band. The omelette is fluffy, layered and lightly sweet, contrasting with the tangy rice. It is a favourite with children and anyone avoiding raw fish, and it is often eaten at the end of a sushi meal like a small dessert.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g Japanese short-grain rice
- 240 ml water
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar plus 2 tbsp for the omelette
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
- Rinse the rice, cook it with the water and let it rest covered for 10 minutes; warm the vinegar with 1 tbsp sugar and the salt, fold into the rice and cool.
- Beat the eggs with 2 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Oil a rectangular or small frying pan over medium-low heat, pour in a thin layer of egg, roll it up when almost set, push it to one side and repeat until all the egg is used.
- Cool the omelette and cut it into 10 slices about 1 cm thick.
- Shape about 20 g of rice into small oblongs with wet hands and press a slice of omelette on each.
How to make it lighter
- Count pieces: the rice and the sweetened omelette together add up, so 2–3 pieces are plenty within a larger meal.
- Use less sugar in the omelette for a less sweet, lighter version.
- Cook the omelette in a non-stick pan with a thin wipe of oil instead of a pool of it — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
History
Nigiri is the hand-pressed style of sushi that took shape in Edo, today's Tokyo, in the early 19th century, when street stalls sold quick bites of vinegared rice topped with fish from Edo Bay. Its invention is usually credited to the sushi maker Hanaya Yohei, though the story is hard to verify. Before refrigeration, many toppings were cured, simmered or marinated, and raw toppings became common only in the 20th century. The rolled omelette, tamagoyaki, is made in a rectangular pan, and Japanese diners sometimes say a sushi shop's tamago shows the skill of its chef.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →