Datemaki (Sweet Rolled Omelette)

1. Before You Start: If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, I recommend cooking it 2 days before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.
2. Gather all the ingredients. You will need parchment paper and a bamboo sushi mat. In Japan, we use a special bamboo mat with thicker strips called onisudare, which makes big ridges or indentations on the Datemaki.
3. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Line an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20-cm) baking dish with parchment paper.

To Prepare the Ingredients

1. Cut 1 package hanpen (fish cake) into ½-inch (1.3-cm) cubes. Next, whisk 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) in a small bowl.
2. To a blender or food processor, add the hanpen and all the seasonings: 2 Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp honey, and ½ tsp soy sauce.
3. Add the beaten egg and blend until smooth, about 1 to 1½ minutes.
4. Strain the egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. You can use a spatula to help pass the mixture through the sieve.
5. Then, pour the mixture back into the blender jar and strain it one more time into the bowl. Finally, pour the strained mixture into the baking dish lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for 20 minutes or until slightly brown on top. If the top is not golden brown, switch to the Broiler setting and broil for 2 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. The center of the omelette will rise slightly as the top gets brown. It will shrink as it cools.

To Roll the Datemaki

1. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Let the omelette deflate and rest until it's just cool enough to handle, only for 1–2 minutes (DO NOT LEAVE IT LONGER than that). We will need to roll the omelette while it’s still hot.
2. Lift the omelette from the baking dish using the parchment paper and transfer it to a work surface. Then, place the bamboo mat over the omelette, with the flat side of the bamboo facing up.
3. Hold the omelette between the bamboo mat and the parchment paper. Then, carefully flip over the omelette onto the bamboo mat. Remove the parchment paper.
4. Now, score the omelette: Rotate the bamboo mat so the slats line up with the direction of your knife. Starting at one edge, use a knife to carefully score along the length of the omelette about ⅛ inch (3 mm) deep. Make sure the knife is parallel to the slats of the bamboo mat. Repeat, scoring the omelette lengthwise every ½ inch (1.3 cm) until you reach the other edge. Tip: These incisions will help the omelette roll up without breaking or cracking.
5. Use the bamboo mat to roll the omelette into a tight cylinder. Then, continue to roll the bamboo mat tightly around the omelette to help hold its cylinder shape.
6. Secure the bamboo and omelette roll with rubber bands so they hold the omelette cylinder firmly and tightly in place. Then, wrap it with plastic wrap. Let it cool completely for 2–3 hours.

To Serve

1. Once cooled, carefully remove the Datemaki from the bamboo mat. Cut crosswise into 12 equal slices about ¾ inch thick. Serve at room temperature.

To Store

1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 4–5 days.