Sweet Rolled Omelette (Datemaki) | Chopstick Chronicles

Datemaki is a traditional rolled omelette typically eaten as part of the New Years feast (osechi ryori) in Japan. It has a sweet but savoury flavor palette and features a special ingredient to elevate the whole omelette. This sweet rolled omelette is delicious and makes a great addition to any meal.

three slices of Datemaki rolled omelette are served on an oval shaped plate

What is Rolled Omelette (Datemaki)?

Rolled omelette, also known as Datemaki in Japanese, is rolled omelette sweetened with sugar, mirin, honey and other ingredients. It is one of the staple New Year’s food in Japan. It is very similar to regular Tamagoyaki, however, this rolled omelette has an extra special ingredient called “hanpen”. Hanpen is a fish cake made from white fish and other ingredients, which gives this rolled omelette a fluffier texture than Tamagoyaki.

three pieces of rolled omelette served on an oval plate with a pair of chopsticks

Fun Facts of the History of Datemaki Rolled Omelette

This rolled omelette is also known as Datemaki in Japan. Back in the Edo period of Japan, Datemaki was called Castella Kamaboko (fish cake) and it looked like the kimono’s that fashionable people wore. These fashionable people were called “datemono” so castella kamaboko became to be known as Datemaki (maki meaning rolled). Also, in the past, important documents and pictures were always rolled into a scroll so Datemaki and other New Year’s food are rolled too.

Hanpen in a package on the left, and cut up hanpen on a chopping board on the right

Why You Will Love This Rolled Omelette

This special New Year’s feast staple is fluffier than Tamagoyaki because of the special ingredient ‘Hanpen fish cake”. Also It could be easier to roll flat baked omelette with a rolling mat than Tamagoyaki one layer by one layer with an egg flipper.

6 eggs, 2 hanpen fish cakes, dashi, sake, honey, mirin, fugar and soy sauce in small bowls.

Ingredients You Need

eggs
Hanpen is fish cake which you can find in the freezer at Japanese/Asian grocery stores and in my humble opinion, I like the “Kibun” brand one. If you can get it as it makes your datemaki airy, light, and fluffy.
sugar
mirin is a Sake-like Japanese condiment with sweetness.
honey
sake If you don’t have any Japanese condiments, see the Japanese food substitute post for alternatives.
usukuchi soy sauce is a type of soy sauce with a higher content of sodium and the colour is lighter.
dashi

Onisudare rolling mat on the left, bamboo sushi rolling mat on the right

This rolling mat called “Onisudare” is bigger than an ordinary sushi rolling mat. Onisudare is a type of large bamboo rolling mat that is a series of rod shaped bamboo cut into triangles which make crinkled indents. You can make rolled omelette without this special rolling mat. You can roll omelette with a sushi rolling mat, or baking paper and place chopsticks around to make the indents.

4 photo collage of rolled omelette process cutting fish cake and mixing all ingredients in a blender — Using a blender

How To Make Rolled Omelette?

Mixing ingredients

There are two ways to mixing the ingredients. One is using a Blender. Cut the hanpen fish cake into small pieces, then place all the ingredients into the blender and blitz for 30 seconds to a minute. Or you can manually mix them all together. Squash the fish cake over the package, then open and empty it into a large mixing bowl. Add eggs one by one and mix well each time after adding an egg. Then add all the seasonings and whisk.

4 photo collage of baking rolled omelette in an oven — Using a blender 2

Cooking the egg mixture

There are also two ways you can cook the egg mixture: in an oven or cook with a frying pan. I used my oven to cook the egg mixture because it is easier to control the cooking temperature. Because of the sugar content, it is easier to get burnt if you are not careful with the heating temperature.

Rolling baked omelette with a bamboo rolling mat in 4 photo collage — Using a blender 3

Tips and Tricks For Rolled Omelette

Leave the mixture to settle until the bubbles go down if you use a blender to mix all ingredients.
Roll the omelette while it is still hot. Put rubber bands around to secure and let it cool.
Wet the bamboo rolling mat so that it does not stick to the rolled omelette, and also keep it upright when letting the rolled omelette cool down.

Cooling down rolled omelette wrapped with a bamboo mat uplight

More New Year’s Osechi Ryori Recipes

pickled daikon and carrot in a preserving jar, served in a small bowl in the background

FAQ

Q: How to Store Datemaki rolled omelette?

A: Slice it and individually wrap with cling wrap then place in a ziplock bag. Or keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Q: How long does Datemaki keep in fridge and freezer?

A: It will keep for about 5-7 days in the fridge and a month in a freezer. Let it naturally defrost in the fridge.

Manually mixing hanpen fish cake and eggs one by one with a whisk — Using a whisk

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If you liked my recipe for Datemaki Japanese rolled omelette, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I see your wonderful creations!

mixing eggs one by one with a whisk in 4 photos collage — Using a whisk 2

Recipe Notes

To change the measurements to US customary, click “US Customary” underneath the ingredients list. This converts from Metric units to the customary units used in the USA.

Japanese rolled omelette

Delicious one of Japanese new year’s feast, Japanese rolled omelette Datemaki recipe

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Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Letting omelette to set: 2 hours

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 1 rolled omelette

Calories: 732kcal

Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles

Instructions

Mixing with a Blender

Cut the hanpen into little cubes and add it to the mixer.
Put all the ingredients into a blender or a food processor.
Mix all the ingredients together for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Leave the mixture to settle until the bubbles go down.
Pour the mixture into the baking tray.

Mixing with a Whisk manually

Squish the hanpen over the package.
Empty the package of the hanpen into a large mixing bowl.
Add one egg at a time and whisk well each time adding the eggs.
Add all seasonings and mix well with the whisk.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tray.

Baking *4

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Turn the oven off and take out the omelette. While it is still hot, place the rolling mat (flat side face up) over the omelette and quickly and carefully flip it over one hand on the omelette and one hand on the mat.*5
Remove the baking paper and score the omelette from the edge about 0.4″-0.6″(1-1.5cm) apart in order to roll it nicely without breaking.
Roll it into a cylinder shape with the rolling mat and secure it with a rubber band on each end to hold the shape.
Look from the side and place the egg roll closed side down, or leave it standing vertically. Let it cool slightly then wrap it with cling wrap and refrigerate the rolled omelette overnight, then remove from the sushi mat and slice into 0.8inch (2cm) thick and serve!

Notes

*1 One hanpen that I used weighed 2.8oz (80g), and I used two of them.
*2 If you can’t access any of the ingredients, see this Japanese food substitute post.
*3 My baking mold size 12×12 inch (30x30cm)
*4 You can use a frying pan too. Cook it over low heat for about 15min with an aluminium foil cover, flip it over carefully and cook the other side if necessary.
*5 Rolling into the shape needs to be done while the omelette is still hot otherwise it will break when it is rolled. Just be careful not to burn yourself.
* 6 Dashi – look here
*7 Cooking time does not include setting time.
*8 Nutrition information is for a whole rolled omelette.

Nutrition

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