Tonpei-yaki (とん平焼き, Osaka pork omelette)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Teppan (flat iron griddle), or a cast-iron skillet
• •Small nonstick or well-seasoned carbon-steel frying pan
• •Wide spatula
• •Squeeze bottle for mayonnaise, or a small spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the filling

   Cut the pork belly into short pieces so each bite gets both meat and fat without dragging long strips out of the omelette. Season it with the salt and white pepper. Beat the eggs with the dashi until just blended, not foamy. The dashi loosens the egg so it folds without cracking, and it gives a quiet depth that water can only imitate.

2. 2

   Brown the pork

   Heat a teppan or heavy skillet over medium-high heat and wipe it with a little oil. Lay the pork in one layer and leave it alone for a full minute before turning. You want the fat to render and the edges to brown, because pale pork belly tastes greasy under sauce. Add the cabbage and toss for 30 to 45 seconds, just until it softens. Splash the shōyu around the hot edge of the pan, toss once, and move the filling to a plate.

   Crowding the pan makes the pork gray and wet. Cook in one layer, even if that means two quick batches. The sauce on top can't repair a lazy sear.
3. 3

   Make the egg sheet

   Set a small nonstick or well-seasoned pan over medium-low heat and wipe it lightly with oil. Pour in the beaten egg and tilt the pan to make a thin oval sheet. When the edges are set and the center is still glossy, stop. A fully dry egg will fold like old paper, which is not the joke we came to make.

   Lower heat gives you time. Tonpei-yaki wants a tender wrapper, not a browned omelette.
4. 4

   Fold the omelette

   Spoon the pork and cabbage across the lower third of the egg. Use a wide spatula to fold the near side over the filling, then roll it once so the seam sits underneath. The egg will finish setting from its own heat, and the seam will hold if you give it a few seconds before moving it.

5. 5

   Sauce and finish

   Slide the omelette seam-side down onto a plate. Brush or spoon the okonomiyaki sauce over the top, add fine lines of Japanese mayonnaise, then scatter with aonori and katsuobushi. Add beni shōga to the side if using. Serve at once, whole for the counter look or cut into three broad pieces for the table. The bonito fragrance fades as it sits, and the egg tightens, so this one is best eaten without ceremony.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for butabara, thinly sliced pork belly, at a Japanese or Korean market. If you're slicing it yourself, chill the pork belly in the freezer for 20 minutes first. Cold fat cuts cleanly, and clean slices brown evenly.
• •Spring cabbage is lovely here when it is at its shun, sweet and soft enough to wilt almost at once. In winter, ordinary green cabbage is better shredded very fine so it can soften before the pork overcooks.
• •Use okonomiyaki sauce if you can get it. Tonkatsu sauce is the closest stand-in, a little sharper and less round, so use it knowingly. Don't drown the omelette. The pork has already done its work.
• •If you don't have dashi ready, use water before reaching for instant powder here. The spoonful is there to loosen the egg. Powder brings salt and noise to a dish that should stay quick and clear.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut the pork and shred the cabbage up to one day ahead. Keep them covered and cold, then cook the dish at the last minute.
• •Dashi keeps two days refrigerated, and tablespoon portions freeze well. This is useful for quick egg dishes where a whole pot of stock would be a very serious way to spend a Tuesday.
• •Measure the sauce, mayonnaise, aonori, katsuobushi, and beni shōga before you start cooking. Once the egg goes into the pan, the dish moves quickly.
• •Tonpei-yaki does not hold well after cooking. Reheating toughens the egg and dulls the pork, so make it just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)