FRUGAL RECIPES: japanese omelette

This is an easy recipe that I got from my mum. It's a Japanese-style omelette, called tamagoyaki, which is tightly rolled to create a springy texture that goes perfectly with rice. It has the perfect balance of sweet and salty and, once cooled, makes for a good packed lunch accompaniment too.

I'm not going to lie, it can be a little tricky to get right the first few times, but once you get the hang of it I promise it's so easy.

Ingredients for 2
4 free range eggs*
0.5 tbsp soy sauce
0.5 tbsp mirin (or 1/4 tbsp sugar)
Oil to fry

Whisk the eggs in a measuring jug and add the soy sauce, mirin/sugar and a tablespoon of water to thin the mixture a little. Put a (very) non-stick pan on the hob and turn the heat up to medium/high. Coat the pan with about a teaspoon of oil.

When the pan is nice and hot, pour in a very thin layer of the egg mixture. You want to imagine that you are making a crepe. Turn the pan to coat the bottom. Gently coax one of the sides with a spatula and, if it comes away from the pan easily, start to roll up the egg. You want to roll it as tightly as possible, so you might find a pair of chopsticks or a second spatula help you to do this.

Once the egg is rolled up, push it to the back of the pan away from you and pour in a second layer of egg. Turn the pan to coat and ensure that the new layer of egg is touching the rolled up part. When just set, start rolling the first rolled up layer back towards you. Repeat until all of the egg is used up, then turn out of the pan and slice into rounds.

Once you've don't it a few times, you'll be a pro! You can even add in a light sprinkling of vegetables, such as grated courgettes, peas or seaweed for extra. I like to serve mine on hot rice with lots of vegetables.

Cost per portion: 40p (plus whatever you serve it with)

*If they sell them in your local supermarket, boxes of mixed size eggs are so much cheaper! Actually, in both Tesco and Waitrose, they are only £1 for six free range eggs, rather than about £1.60 for a box of medium eggs, and you often get larger ones in the mixed boxes, too.