Tamago Kanten Sweet-Savory Egg Agar

Quick answer

Total time: 50 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Tamago kanten is a Shonai celebration food from Yamagata that streams beaten egg into agar liquid seasoned sweet and salty with soy sauce and sugar, then chills it firm in a mold.

Agar dishes were already rooted in local daily life when once-valuable eggs were added, turning this version into both a confection and side dish for New Year and festival tables. Stick agar needs at least thirty minutes of soaking, then is torn small and simmered in fresh water until no solid center remains. Seasonings enter the fully dissolved agar before the egg is poured quickly in a thin circle. This leaves fine yellow ribbons visible in every cut face. The hot mixture is transferred to a water-rinsed mold, cooled briefly, and refrigerated until cleanly sliceable. Its character comes from tender egg suspended in brittle agar with mild sweetness and soy savoriness.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
stick agar	7	g
water	500	ml
egg	1	piece
soy sauce	5	ml
mirin	5	ml
sugar	2	g
salt	2	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Step

Soak 7g stick agar in plenty of cold water for at least 30 minutes until flexible throughout.

Squeeze out the water with both hands and tear into pieces no larger than 2cm.
2

Control

Combine the torn agar and 500ml fresh water in a pan over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spatula.

Once boiling, lower the heat and cook 2 more minutes until completely clear and dissolved.
3

Season

Stir in 5ml soy sauce, 5ml mirin, 2g sugar, and 2g salt for 30 seconds to dissolve.

Beat one egg in a small bowl until the white is evenly broken up.
4

Heat

Keep the agar at a gentle boil and quickly stream the egg in a thin circle down a chopstick.

Leave undisturbed for 15 seconds, then fold from bottom to top only twice with the spatula.
5

Control

Rinse the inside of a square container with water and immediately pour in the hot egg agar.

Skim only large surface bubbles, let excess heat escape, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
6

Finish

Release the firm agar around the edge with a wet knife and invert onto a plate.

Cut into 12 squares, divide among four plates with the egg pattern visible, and serve chilled.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Seven grams stick agar and one egg
Finish cue: Release the firm agar around the edge with a wet knife and invert onto a plate.
Storage and reheating: The hot mixture is transferred to a water-rinsed mold, cooled briefly, and refrigerated until cleanly sliceable.