Meet one of my favorite breakfasts: tamago kake gohan. A traditional, Japanese breakfast dish, tamago kake gohan is a rice and egg bowl that’s quick, easy, and comforting. Seasoned with a bit of shoyu & mirin + topped with furikake, it’s completely addictive. The final bowl is creamy, luscious, umami perfection. I know the raw egg might seem weird, but it cooks, and it’s SO good. Please trust me and try this ASAP. I’ve had it every morning for the past…I don’t even know how many days. You can top it with all kinds of things like scallion, greens, or even raw or cooked salmon or other fish.
We’re currently in Kyoto pretending we’re local for a short two weeks in a little machiya, and I’m feeling so peaceful. Maybe it’s the Buddhist and Shinto energy—there are over 1600 temples and 400 shrines in the city. We wake up early every morning, the whole family up by 6 AM. We take our showers & baths, straighten up, brew a pot of sen-cha, make this breakfast, and then walk to get a morning coffee—a cappuccino for me, filter coffee for dad, and a “babycino” (steamed milk) for Eula. After that we grab groceries on the way home if we need them, and then by 9 we’re settled in for work. I found a derelict machiya (traditional house) for sale for a pittance, and, as I am wont to do, am fantasizing about restoring it and living here part time. My dreams of nesting all over the world are my favorite past time. We call it “hypothetical real estate”.
Lately we’ve been eating this tomago kake gohan, which is as ridiculously simple as it sounds, every morning. I top it with furikake (find it a Japanese grocery, make your own, or order it online!) and serve it alongside a simple yuzu miso soup filled with whatever we have on hand (currently cabbage, mushroom, green bean, and fresh tofu with a scattering of scallion and herbs/sprouts) with tsukemono (Japanese pickles) on the side. And natto, fermented soybeans, for Matt & Eula. Try it: you’ll either love it or hate it. They love it. I…don’t. But wish I did! It’s incredibly good for you.
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Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked, hot Japanese rice per person
- 1 egg per person
- 1 teaspoon mirin per person
- 1 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce) per person
- sliced scallion (spring onion / tokyo negi)
- furikake (a must!)
- cooked or sushi grade raw salmon, tuna, or hamachi
- ume plums
- japanese pickles
- avocado
Instructions
- Cook the rice in a rice cooker or according the the package instructions in a pot or donabe.
- In a separate cup combine the raw egg, shoyu, and mirin. Mix well with chopsticks or a fork. Add to the rice and mix well to completely combine with the rice. Alternately, you can make a well in the rice and add it directly to the bowl, mix it well, and then mix it into the rice.
- Let sit 5-10 minutes until thickened and you can eat it with chopsticks. Top with desired toppings and dig in! If you want to heat it back up, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and then throw on your toppings!
- Best served with a simple miso soup on the side for a truly authentic Japanese breakfast experience!
This was one of the first dishes I tried when I visited Japan three years ago, thank you for sharing this recipe! I look forward to making it and bringing back the memories ( we also stayed in a machiya in Kyoto so I have to admit this is making me feel nostalgic).
This looks amazing, and might be my way in to a hot, savory breakfast! Do you make small batches of rice each morning? Set a timer on your rice cooker the night before? Make a large batch of rice and reheat?
Thank you so much for sharing.
I had this at 4 AM this morning and it was a perfect early breakfast—so glad I happened to have furikake and shoyu in the cupboard. So delicious. & I’ll be making it again, you can be sure of that.
Lovely dishes! Would you mind sharing a link for where to purchase these pieces? Thank you 🙂
No doubt about that Japanese food is always good for health. I really prefer eat raw egg, like tsukemono and miso yuzu is really awesome for winter. Japanese food inspire me a lot in cooking.
I made this recipe for lunch today and it was just what I needed to settle my stomach after thanksgiving overload; thank you for sharing. I appreciate the balance of mirin and shoyu, but I’ll have to find some furikake to try in the next batch. I like the idea of eating this for breakfast, especially with miso soup, because I’m always craving savory hot broth and eggs when I wake up. It was seriously delicious and felt very nourishing. I love it.
Beth, thank you so much for this recipe! This has become my go-to quick breakfast (or lunch or dinner lol) since you posted it – so simple and I love the mix of flavors and textures.
Looks like a great weekend project. Thanks for the idea!
… I want this breakfast so bad it hurts. +_+