CARIBBEAN CUISINE

JAPANESE OMELETTE - Serves 4

from New Vegetarian by Celia Brooks Brown

INGREDIENTS

6 fresh or dried mushrooms
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
8 eggs
125 ml vegetable stock
1-1 1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
Or 1 teaspoon sugar
11-12-inch (28 cm) non-stick frying pan

DIRECTIONS

1. If using dried shitakes, soak them in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain, reserving 125 ml of the liquid. Finely slice the mushrooms. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in the pan, add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

2. Put the eggs, vegetable stock, soy sauce and mirin or sugar in a jug and beat with a fork. Heat the frying pan and add the remaining oil. Pour in just enough egg mixture to cover the base of the pan, swirling to coat.

3. Sprinkle with a few mushrooms then cook until the egg is barely set, but not dry. Using a heat-proof, non-metal spatula or fish slice, loosen the edges and roll up the egg layer from one side of the pan to the other. Do not remove.

4. Pour in more egg mixture as before, letting it touch the rolled omelette. Add a few mushrooms and cook until the egg is barely set. Starting with the cooked omelette, roll it to the other side of the pan- as you do this the new egg layer will roll up with it.

5. Repeat, layering and rolling until all themushroom and egg mixture has been used. The finished omelette should be quite thick with many rolled layers.

6. Slide the omelette out of the pan onto a large sheet of foil. Roll up into a long sausage shape and scrunch the foil at the ends to seal. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.

7. Unwrap and remove the foil, then cut the omelette crossways into 4 or 8 pieces and serve.