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Featured Comment:
“Just made this. Omg soo good and so easy. Thanks for the video!”
– @michaelmolina5742 (from YouTube)
What is Tenshinhan?
Tenshinhan (天津飯) is a Chinese-influenced Japanese dish. It’s made up of a fluffy omelette mixed with imitation crab and shiitake mushrooms served over a mountain of rice and then coated in a thick, glossy sweet vinegar sauce. It has some similarities to Chinese egg foo yung.
There are a few theories about the origin of Tenshinhan, but it is believed to have started when crab meat was mixed with eggs and baked, then served over rice during the food shortage after World War II.
During this time, the Chinese city of Tianjin (天津) was known for its high-quality rice, and it became popular to serve crab omelet on top of “tension rice.” “Tenshin” is how the Chinese characters are read in Japanese.
There are two theories about the roots of the birth of Tenshinhan. One is the dish was created in a restaurant called “Raizen” in Tokyo, and the other was from “Taisho-ken” in Osaka.
In fact, tenshinhan has slightly different sauces depending on the region. Tokyo style is more like a sweet and sour sauce and contains rice vinegar, whereas the Osaka style is savored and swaps the vinegar for sake. My recipe is Tokyo style.
How I Developed This Recipe
In crafting this Tenshinhan recipe, my initial focus was replicating the kind of dish you’d see in a Chinese restaurant in Japan. But the real key to this recipe lies in the sauce. I aimed for a rich sauce with a hint of sourness, an element that elevates the entire dish.
After much experimentation and tweaking, I incorporated a few secret ingredients, those little touches that transform a good dish into a great one.
I’m excited for you to try it and experience this beloved classic in a new way!
Ingredients & Substitution Ideas
- Eggs – I use medium size eggs, if using small or large eggs, be sure to adjust the quantity accordingly.
- Imitation crab sticks – add great flavor and color to the dish. If you prefer, you could use canned crab, fresh crab or even shrimp.
- Green onion – the white part finely chopped adds depth of flavor to the omelette. You can finely slice the green part and use them as a garnish instead of green peas if you like.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms – these are rehydrated in water to make an umami-rich sauce, and then the mushrooms themselves are used in the omelette. No waste in this recipe!
- Japanese mayonnaise – helps break down the proteins in the eggs resulting in an extra fluffy omelette!
- Grated ginger (or ginger paste for convenience) – adds depth of flavor and a fragrant taste.
- Salt and pepper – to season. I use regular sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sesame oil – drizzled at the end for some subtle nutty flavor.
- Green peas – these are mainly for an authentic presentation.
- Cooked rice – I use plain Japanese white rice for this. I recommend using a rice cooker for convenience, but if you don’t have one, check out my recipe for cooking Japanese rice on the stove.
Real crab meat is an expensive ingredient so for home cooking, we tend to use imitation crab (crab sticks) instead. It also makes the dish more colorful. It’s also fine to use canned crab if you prefer.
For the sauce, I use the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter – makes the sauce rich and delicious! I prefer unsalted so that I have more control over the salt content. If using salted, you might need to reduce the amount of salt or soy sauce.
- Soy sauce – adds soy flavor, umami and color to the sauce.
- Chicken stock – I use 2 tsp of Youki garasupu mixed with 200ml of hot water for this recipe. I recommend using an Asian-style chicken stock rather than Western-style which usually contains more herbs geared towards Western cooking.
- Light brown sugar – for sweetness and depth.
- Rice vinegar – makes the sauce slightly tangy and balanced.
- Salt – to bring out the flavors even more.
- Potato starch – to make the sauce thick and glossy. Corn starch or tapioca starch also work as substitutes.
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Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make Tenshinhan at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
The first step is to rehydrate the dry shiitake mushrooms in water. Make sure you only use dried shiitake mushrooms for this recipe, as the flavor of fresh ones is not so strong.
For 1-2 servings, I suggest two shiitake mushrooms; however, the ones in my pack were small, so I used 3 this time.
Soak them for about 20-30 minutes until softened. You can also use this time to set your rice. (If you don’t have a rice cooker, check out my post on how to cook fluffy Japanese style rice on the stove!)
Start by melting butter in a pan over a low heat.
Once melted, add the soy sauce and mix.
Add the chicken stock, light brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Turn up the heat to medium and bring it to a boil.
Allow the sauce to boil for 1 minute and then turn it down to a simmer.
Make a slurry by mixing potato starch and cold water in a small bowl, then add it to the sauce along with the rice vinegar.
Allow the sauce to simmer until it becomes slightly thickened and glossy.
Once it’s thickened, turn off the heat. You can leave it on the stove to keep it warm or reheat it just before serving.
Once the shiitake are rehydrated, remove them from the water. Don’t discard the water; this is now a shiitake dashi (broth) that we will add to the eggs later!
Cut the shiitake into slices.
Finely dice the spring onion and shred the crab sticks using a fork.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them until the whites and yolks are combined.
Add the shiitake, spring onion, and imitation crab and whisk them all together.
Add 1 tbsp of shiitake dashi per portion.
Then add Japanese mayonnaise, grated ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Mayonnaise helps reduce the protein binding caused by heating the eggs, preventing them from hardening and making them fluffy. Fluffy eggs are a must for tenshinhan!
Whisk them all together, and then you’re ready to cook!
Heat a pan on medium-high; once hot, add the oil and swirl it around the pan. To make sure the base is evenly coated with oil, you can use kitchen paper to rub it all over the surface, this will ensure your omelette doesn’t stick. I recommend using a pan that is roughly the same size as your serving dish.
If you’re making multiple portions, you should divide the egg and make each portion separately to ensure a beautiful presentation. Make sure to oil the pan between each portion.
Once the pan is hot, pour the egg mixture in.
Whisk the egg with chopsticks while it’s still raw to ensure a fluffy texture. Once you start to see the edges setting, stop whisking. I usually whisk it for about 30 seconds.
Turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook until it’s half done.
Eggs tend to hold onto heat and continue cooking even after you’ve taken them off the stove. In addition to this, placing them over hot rice will add even more heat. If you cook the eggs all the way, you could end up with a rubbery omelette. Turn off the heat before the egg is fully cooked; the top will still be runny, and that’s okay!
I took my omelette off the heat at this point. (If you prefer your eggs well done, you can flip it and cook the other side for 30 seconds or so.)
Make a small mountain of rice in a bowl. I recommend using a deep dish with raised edges so the sauce stays in the bowl.
Carefully slide the omelette from the pan over the rice.
Pour the sauce over the top. (Reheat if necessary.)
Drizzle with sesame oil and top with a few green peas for an authentic presentation!
And enjoy!
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I hope you enjoy this Tenshinhan recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
More Chinese-inspired Japanese dishes
- Pan-fried gyoza
- Crispy harumaki (spring rolls)
- Chinjaorosu (pepper steak)
- Spicy Mapo Tofu
- 15 minute Tantanmen Ramen
Tenshinhan (Crab Meat Omelette on Rice)
Ingredients
Prep
- 2 dried shiitake mushroom
- 100 ml water
- 200 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice
Sauce
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 200 ml chicken bouillon
- ½ tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- slurry 1 tbsp cold water mixed with 1 tsp potato starch or corn starch
Tenshinhan
- 1 tbsp green onion white part, finely diced
- 30 g imitation crab crab sticks
- 4 egg
- 2 tsp Japanese style mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp shiitake mushroom dashi from soaked shiitake
- 1 tsp ginger paste or grated ginger
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- green peas to garnish
Instructions
Prep
- Place 2 dried shiitake mushroom in a small bowl of 100 ml water and soak for about 20-30 minutes or until softened.
- Use this time to cook your rice. (I often use frozen rice and microwave it while cooking the sauce.)
Sauce
- Place a saucepan on the stove and 15 g unsalted butter over a low heat.
- Once melted, add 2 tsp soy sauce and mix.
- Add 200 ml chicken bouillon, ½ tbsp light brown sugar and 1 pinch salt. Turn up the heat to medium and bring it to a boil.
- Allow the sauce to boil for 1 minute and then add the slurry and ½ tbsp rice vinegar.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir continuously until it becomes slightly thickened and glossy. Turn off the heat but leave the pot on the stove and cover to keep it warm.
Omelette
- Remove the soaked shiitake mushrooms from the water (but don’t throw away the water!), cut off the stems and then cut them into thin slices.
- Shred 30 g imitation crab with a fork and finely dice 1 tbsp green onion.
- Crack 4 egg into a bowl and whisk.
- Add the green onion, shiitake mushrooms and imitation crab, then whisk again.
- Next add 1 tbsp shiitake mushroom dashi (left over water from soaking the mushrooms) per portion along with 2 tsp Japanese style mayonnaise, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 pinch salt and 1 pinch ground black pepper. Whisk until evenly distributed.
- Heat a frying pan (preferably non-stick) on medium-high and once hot, add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Swirl it around and evenly coat the pan. Pour the egg mixture in and whisk for about 30 seconds.
- Turn down the heat to medium and continue to heat without mixing until the egg is cooked half way through (it will be a bit runny on top – if you don't like runny eggs you can flip it to cook the other side.)
- Make a mountain of rice on a plate and carefully slide the omelette on top of the rice.
- Pour the sauce over the top and garnish with 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and a few green peas.
- Enjoy!
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