Tamago kakegohan (hot steamed rice topped with raw egg)

After repeatedly whining about my foodless posts these days, I finally had something post-able today that doesn`t include my scooter. But as you might already guess from the title, I must warn those of you who are not into eating raw eggs. I`m perfectly aware of how the sight of raw eggs eaten as they are can be quite challenging in some cultures. I myself did not grow up in "raw food" culture, except for some vegetables. First time I saw this raw egg served on a bowl of hot steamed rice called tamago kakegohan in Japanese was on TV during my first year in Japan and I kept saying, "Why? Why? Why???". Years passed by and I still couldn`t make myself have it despite how intriguing it looked to me. It was only recently that I finally challenged myself and later decided that this tamago kakegohan is certainly one of my comfort Japanese food next after (or before??) natto.

So, if you think you are not comfortable with this particular food, then you might be better stop scrolling down your mouse and browse my other recipes instead :)

And for those of you are curious and interested in trying, I need to say these few things loud and clear first. 

1. Only eat raw eggs when they are still fresh. As fresh as possible. In Japan, most of the eggs in the stores are stamped with the "use before" date, which usually also indicates the safe period for raw consumption. But please confirm the safety instruction on the pack if you`re not sure. For me, I usually only eat them raw within 3-4 days after I bought them and kept in the fridge. Longer than that, the eggs will be served as cooked dish or baked items.

2. If you are pregnant, sick, or are having problem with your immunity system, don`t eat the eggs raw unless you have consulted with your doctors. I`m not knowledgeable enough to tell you what`s good or bad, but generally speaking, one needs to be extra cautious about the food choice during such conditions.
3. If you live in Japan, it`s very likely that you won`t have any problem with finding "suitable" eggs for raw consumption. But if you don`t and you`re not sure about the food safety, pasteurized eggs seems to be a good option. I found this tips from Rachael of La Fuji Mama (thank you, Rachael!), so you might want to hop over her blog to see her version of tamago kakegohan too.


Now I`m finished with the cautions, are you ready for the adventure?
First thing to do is to stay away from your stove. Instead, go get a bowl of hot steamed rice, make a little well in the center, and crack in a fresh egg.

Sometimes I don`t bother to make the well and I just place the egg right on top of the rice.

The simplest way in making tamago kakegohan  is probably by drizzling soy sauce or sprinkle salt over.
But I never do that and I don`t know why. I always add something for topping. What I`m showing you here is sesame seeds and dried shrimps. If I had kimchi, I would have added it in too.

Then, I have to add ra-yu, or chili-infused sesame oil. Whatever topping I use, ra-yu is always in it.

I sprinkle a bit of salt too as this whole set would be quite bland without it. When I want the nuttiness from the sesame seed and sesame oil to stand out, I usually opt for salt rather than soy sauce.

On top of everything, I added shredded nori (seaweed) paper and sprinkled some more sesame seed.

Done! How long was that? 5 seconds??

Now here`s my most favorite part of the eating ritual.
Dig the chopsticks in to break the egg underneath, stir it in circular movement until the rice is gradually coated by the creamy egg. Then, hold your breath...

...and scoop the eggy rice now...yum yum yum!

This rich, creamy, and comforting bowl of rice despite of its simplicity is a real no-fuss food, which is also my go-to menu after a hectic or exhausting day. This dish seems to be popular as breakfast menu among Japanese, but I often make this for my express dinner. One thing I feel inside every time I have this bowl of tamago kakegohan in my hands is, "Ah, it`s good to be home".

Hope your adventure goes well too!

TAMAGO KAKEGOHAN

Serves 1 person

Ingredients:
1 bowl of hot steamed rice
1 fresh whole egg
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1 Tbs dried shrimps
2 tsp Ra-yu (chili-infused sesame oil)
Shredded nori paper
Salt

Method:
1. Prepare a bowl of hot steamed rice (Optional: make a well in the center).
2. Crack a fresh egg in the center or on top of the rice.
3. Sprinkle sesame seeds, dried shrimps, and salt over.
4. Drizzle ra-yu (chili-infused sesame oil)over.
5. Sprinkle shredded nori paper and some more sesame seeds.

Oefs en Cocotte (the simple and lazy version)

This Oefs en Cocotte , or eggs cooked in ramekins, is another dish that I made based on Julia Child`s recipe for our Saturday`s brunch. I call my version as the simple and lazy version because I don`t use butter and heavy cream that are called for in her recipe (this makes for the "simple") and I just steamed the eggs instead of baking them (and this makes for the "lazy"). These last couple months, I usually eat only plants-based diets to start my day and save the animal protein for my lunch or dinner, but I`ve been wanting to give a try on Julia`s eggs recipe as serving eggs in individual ramekins without the fuss of peeling the shells off sounds totally wonderful to me. So I finally had these lovely eggs for our brunch with the lighter ingredients, aka. no butter and cream.

Start with simmering water in a shallow frying pan or an oven-proof baking dish. 

I don`t have any baking dishes that can be used on my IH stove, so I figured that I need to do the whole cooking process on the stove. So, again, if you want the the simple way, just go with your frying pan.

While waiting the water to get simmered, crack an egg  in an individual ramekin. You can grease the ramekins first with butter or oil before placing the eggs. I skipped this part as I was going to prepare another oily dish. 

By the way, I feel like I was preparing this for kids. Just look at these Lego colors.

Now carefully place the ramekins in the pan. 

Don`t drop them, please. You don`t want poached eggs all over your pan with the ramekins in it, especially on your beautiful Saturday morning. 

You can see that the water level is no more than half the ramekin`s height. I did it to prevent the water from getting into the ramekins. Also, this way I could place the ramekins with my hands easily without getting my fingers cooked.

Put the lid on and you can go back to sleep. 

 Here`s how they look under the lid after 5 mins on low heat.
After 5 mins, remove from heat. 

Now, the next step would depend on your preference. If you want hard-boiled egg consistency,  let the ramekins sit inside the pan at room temperature with the lid still on for like 5-10 mins. This will extend the cooking process. I did it this way, although with no intention of making them into hard-boiled eggs. But, if you want the yolks to be soft or runny, you probably should lessen the cooking time or open the lid and serve the eggs right away. 

In Julia`s recipe, after the buttered ramekins containing eggs and whipping cream are steamed on a stove, the ramekins and the baking dish are transferred to the oven and baked at 375 F (190 C) for 7-10 mins. I have no idea how the eggs would turn out in her recipe, but I clearly overcooked my eggs.

This is another reason why I let the lid on for 10 mins. I was busy sauteeing these string beans with crushed garlic and black pepper while forgetting about the eggs still getting cooked inside the pan.

Well, at least this time we had a more proper brunch compared with our usual lazy Saturdays before.

Steamed eggs, sauteed string beans, and yaki-imo (baked sweet potato). I love yaki-imo, especially for breakfast.

Here is the hard-steamed yolk. It`s different in so many ways with the runny yolk, but the convenience it offers during the cooking and eating is definitely a big plus of this steamed egg. I`ve never cooked and had any boiled eggs this neat before. Ever.

Enjoy your weekend`s feast!

Print recipe

OEFS EN COCOTTE (shallow pan-steamed version)

Ingredients and equipments:

Individual ramekins (optional: greased with oil/butter)

Eggs

A shallow frying pan containing simmering water with a lid

Salt and pepper

Sesame seeds

Method:

1. Simmer water in a shallow frying pan with the water level is half of the ramekin`s height

2. Crack an egg  in the individual ramekin

3. Carefully place the ramekins in the pan and put the lid on

4. Cook for 5 mins on low heat

5. Remove from heat

6. For hard-boiled egg consistency, let the ramekins sit inside the pan at room temperature with the lid on for another 5-10 mins before serving. For soft-boiled egg consistency, serve right away.

7. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds when serving.