Tamago Gochi

Yo Adrian!

Few things inspire uneasiness in the kitchen like raw egg. We handle them like glass, we clean up after them immediately, and we never ever eat raw eggs. Unless we want to be like Rocky, then we chug 6 of them at 4:30 in the morning before going on a run through Philly. Despite the advances in pasteurization we are still concerned about food poisoning - and we should be. I myself have had it a couple of times, and I will spare you the gory details but suffice to say it was not fun. So you can imagine my discomfort when I came across a Japanese breakfast that made use of a raw egg, and why it took me a few days to get over my fear and try it.

Tamago Gochi is a classic Japanese made - in it's simplest of forms - with only three ingredients: Cooked rice, a raw egg, and soy sauce. It is also simple to prepare. Cook the rice, place about a cup of this rice in a bowl and create a crater in the middle. Crack a raw egg in the crater, and splash with soy sauce to taste. Then take your chopsticks (or fork) and stir the egg into the rice. If you want to be fancy, you can toss some sesame seeds on top. Let's take a moment to contemplate this:

My first tamago gochi

That little egg down in there looks unassuming, but is in fact the engine that makes this little dish run. Consider what happens in the step following this one: That egg is beaten into what amounts to a liquid, and then comes into contact with every side of all of those freshly-cooked rice grains. As you stir, that heat that is stored in the rice permeates the egg, allowing it to become a rich and creamy sauce that is now fully cooked and absolutely delicious. This is similar to what happens in a pasta carbonara, if you are familiar with the dish. In a carbonara the eggs are cooked by the pasta and bacon fat in the pan, and not the rice. Different cuisine, same principle.

Tamago Gochi after stirring

For those of you on the fence about this dish, I heartily suggest you hop over. Sure the grass is the same color, but the tamago gochi is steaming hot, and ready to fill your bellies in the morning. This dish will surprise you in it's humble complexity, and is a great way to start any day - or even to serve at a brunch or lunch table. The egg sauce transforms the rice from humble bland grains into flavorful fuel for your day, and the feeling of cupping the bowl in your hand and eating the rice is second to none.

Will you or won't you? Share your experiences with this my new breakfast favorite in the comments below or on Facebook!