A classic osechi dish! Datemaki recipe♪

The annual events in January in Japan are mostly those associated with New Year. Hatsumode, 'otoshidama' gift of money, New Year's Day, the first sunrise of the year (Hatsu Hinode), and many other keywords come to mind, but when you think of the one thing that cannot be missed during the New Year, then it is osechi cuisine.

This time, I will introduce how to make "Datemaki" (伊達巻), one of the standard osechi cuisine dishes that is popular with children. Datemaki is usually made with white fish, but this time we use hanpen (はんぺん - pounded fish cake), which is low in fat and rich in protein. You can easily make a fluffy "Datemaki", so read on and try making one yourself!

Before introducing the recipe, let's first learn about the meaning of eating "Datemaki" on New Year's Day and its nutritional content!

What is Datemaki

Datemaki is one of the standard dishes of osechi cuisine. It is a dish that is made by mixing eggs, white fish paste, sugar, mirin, soy sauce, etc., and then grilling it and rolling it like a jamroll.

Each osechi dish has auspicious meanings and various wishes, but Datemaki resembles a scroll (an old literature, before the invention of books) and is a lucky charm that wishes for "growing wiser".

Nutrients of hanpen

This time, I used hanpen instead of white fish paste.

Hanpen is a paste food made from fish paste, and is rich in calcium and protein. Moreover, it is a low-fat, low-calorie healthy food, making Datemaki healthy for your body in addition to being auspicious.

Here is the video (with cc subtitles)👇👇👇

Ingredients for Datemaki

• Hanpen … 1 piece (100g)
• 2 eggs
• Sugar…30g
• Mirin ... 1 tbsp
• salt...a little
• Salad oil...a little

How to make Datemaki

1. Place the hanpen in a plastic bag and mash until smooth.
2. Put hanpen in a container, add sugar, mirin, and salt, and mix.
3. Add eggs and mix.
4. Put salad oil on frying pan for making rolled eggs and heat the frying pan over medium heat.
5. Place on a wet cloth for 1-2 seconds and pour the batter into it.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on low heat for 3 minutes.
7. Once the eggs have hardened, flip them over and bake for 2 minutes.
8. Place the baked dough on the bamboo mat (rolling blind), and roll it tightly from the front.
9. Secure the ends with rubber bands and let it cool.
10. Once cooled, cut into bite-size pieces and serve.