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Tenshinhan
Crab omelette on rice
Tenshinhan: a soft crab omelette over rice under a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce
Tenshinhan, sometimes called tenshindon, is a Japanese invention served in the small Chinese-style chuka restaurants of Tokyo and Osaka, ordered at lunch and for a cheap, filling dinner. A fluffy omelette studded with crab and spring onion is slid over a mound of rice, then the whole plate is coated in a shiny amber sauce that is both sweet and a little sharp. It works well with tinned crab or crab sticks (which are made from fish and often contain wheat). The common mistake is tipping the cornflour slurry into the sauce without stirring, which makes lumps; pour it in a thin stream while stirring constantly. Chef's tip: add the vinegar only after the sauce has thickened, so its brightness isn't boiled away.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the omelette
- 14 oz cooked short-grain ricehot; see step 1 if using leftovers
- 4 eggs
- 3 ½ oz cooked crab meat or crab sticksdrained and shredded
- 2 spring onionsthinly sliced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 14 oz cooked short-grain rice into two shallow bowls. If it is leftover rice, it should have been cooled quickly and kept in the fridge; reheat it covered in the microwave until it is piping hot all the way through.
2 minStep 2: In a small pan heat ¾ cup water, 1 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp tomato ketchup until simmering. Stir 1 tbsp cornflour again, then pour it in slowly while stirring and cook for 1 minute until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Take off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp rice vinegar.
3 minStep 3: Beat 4 eggs with ¼ tsp salt, then stir in 3 ½ oz cooked crab meat or crab sticks and 2 spring onions.
Step 4: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a 20 cm non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Pour in half the egg and stir in big circles for 20 seconds, then leave it to cook until the base is set and the top is just creamy. Slide it over one bowl of rice.
2 minStep 5: Cook the second omelette with the rest of 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Make sure the crab is hot through. For anyone pregnant, very young, older or with a weak immune system, cook the omelettes until no runny egg remains, or use pasteurised eggs.
2 minStep 6: Reheat the sauce briefly if it has cooled, spoon it over both omelettes and serve.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tenshinhan take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of cooked short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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