Celebrate TGK Day with a classic of Japanese kitchens, but with some luxurious ingredients

08:19 cherishe 0 Comments

We take tamago kake gohan to new heights on its special day.

Tamago kake gohan, often abbreviated as TKG, is a standard of Japanese home-cooking, although it’s so simple to make it doesn’t seem right to even call it “cooking.” To make TKG, all you have to do is crack a raw egg on top of a small bowl of hot rice and mix it all up.

Usually soy sauce is mixed in as well, but you can pretty much add whatever seasoning or toppings float your boat. As long as you have the essential egg and rice, then you have TKG.

It gets a lot of love for its simplicity, deliciousness, and affordability. However, it is that last factor which we are going to tackle today. Our writer Yuichiro Wasai, set out to find the most luxurious eggs he could with which to make the most elegant TKG anyone has ever seen!

Yuichiro’s search led him to a pack of Tenran Ukokkeiran, which are eggs laid by specially raised Silkie chickens (ukokkei), known for their unusually fluffy and soft feathers. A single egg of this variety costs 560 yen (US$5).

This was the first time Yuichiro had ever tried such a high-class egg and he wasn’t sure what to expect. He cracked the beige shell over bowl of steamy rice and began mixing.

He then added a dash of soy sauce for flavor, but not too much so as to interfere with the taste of the eggs. In purchasing the soy sauce he didn’t scrimp either, buying a nice bottle of Urubishio.

Taking a first bite, Yuichiro was surprised by how light it tasted. However, a few moments later the inherent richness of the eggs began to emerge. It was certainly a great egg.

However, Yuichiro was far from finished and pulled out a pack of Omi Corned Beef made from the same Omi beef that ranks right up there with its luxurious cousins Kobe, and Matsutaka. One small pack of this stuff runs 1,600 yen ($14).

Yuichiro was nervous to use too much of this valuable foodstuff so he just added a small amount to his increasingly expensive TGK.

It was a stroke of luck that he decided to do that because the balance was perfect. As he ate, Yuicihro just added a small amount of corned beef and a tiny splash of soy sauce. It made each and every bite perfection and the entire TGK pure bliss.

By the way, the total cost of these three items was about 3,000 yen ($27) but that’s okay because it was all done in the spirit of Tamago Kake Gohan Day. This day is designated to be on 30 October and honors the establishment of the Japan Tamago Kake Gohan Symposium.

You also might be wondering why this guy knows so much about fine luxury foods.

That’s because, much like with the many medical mishaps that happen to his lower hemisphere, Yuichiro is never afraid to seek professional help. In this case he asked the staff at Isetan department store for the best high-end items to make an exquisite TGK with, and they were more than happy and knowledgeable to help.

So, don’t be afraid to get help from your local vendor to ensure the happiest TGK Day ever!