Jae Lee is the chef and owner at Nowon in New York City's Lower East Side. The Korean-American chef learned about one of his go-to egg dishes during his time working as a sous chef.
In 2013, Lee worked at a Masaharu Morimoto-owned restaurant where he said his chef, Hisanobu Osaka, would often make a last-minute, quick meal for himself.
"It took minutes, but looked so delicious," Lee told Insider.
The dish, he said, was like a fluffy Japanese frittata. Inspired by dashi tamagoyaki, Lee developed his own recipe for the speedy meal, which he has since taught to a class of home cooks over Zoom.
Lee says this breakfast is best when served and eaten immediately after cooking. And while it can be enjoyed on its own, the chef says you can eat it with toasted bread or a warm bowl of rice.
See Lee's recipe for Japanese frittata below.
Serving size: Makes one, 8-inch frittata Ingredients
4 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon hondashi (dashi powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
About 2 ounces (one handful) spinach
Instructions
Whisk the eggs, water, hondashi, salt, and sugar with a fork.
In an 8-inch nonstick pan on medium high heat, add one tablespoon of unsalted butter and slightly wilt the spinach.
Once the spinach is slightly wilted, add the whisked egg mixture (with other ingredients).
Using a nonstick spatula, stir around and cook to a very loose scramble.
Once it looks about 50% cooked, turn heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for two to five minutes until egg is cooked — it should look slightly moist and have souffléd.
Cut and serve immediately.
