Tamagoyaki is a Japanese method of frying eggs where beaten and seasoned eggs are thinly fried and rolled repeatedly until the egg is the desired thickness. In the Kanto region (Eastern Japan), sugar is also added to sweeten the flavor and then grilled until very slightly brown. This style is called Atsuyaki Tamago and is the main variety in the region. On the other hand, in the Kansai region (Western Japan), the Dashimaki Tamago style is much more common. It is seasoned with dashi (Japanese broth), grilled without browning, then served with grated daikon radish as a topping. There is also a specialized kitchen utensil for cooking tamagoyaki, a Tamagoyaki pan, which has a different shape in the eastern and western parts of Japan—square and rectangular, respectively. Tamagoyaki is a popular dish in bento lunch boxes, and it is even used as an ingredient in Nigiri Sushi (hand-pressed sushi). Not only plain tamagoyaki, but also tamagoyaki with other ingredients inside such as mentaiko (spicy cod roe), cheese, and hijiki seaweed are also popular.

Tamagoyaki with aonori seaweed and tamagoyaki with hijiki seaweed and mentaiko (spicy cod roe)

Occasions related to tamagoyaki 

Datemaki is a type of Tamagoyaki made by adding fish paste into beaten egg, baking the egg mixture, and rolling it with a makisu (sushi mat). This is one of the standard dishes in Osechi Ryori (the Japanese New Year’s feast). In the Kansai region (Western Japan), Dashimaki Tamago can be replaced with Datemaki.

Datemaki