Giant Robot Omelette

This is an omelette that uses some Japanese flavors. I don't know if this recipe is even remotely traditionally Japanese, but it's tasty and a good way to add variety to your breakfast.

First, you'll need to make a dashi, a stock (you know, like chicken stock). To make this, get some dried kelp ("kombu", it's seaweed). Soak some in a pot of water (2-3 pieces for every 2 cups of stock you want to make) for 15 minutes, then bring it to a boil over medium heat. When it hits a boil, take it off the heat and let it cool. You can freeze this and then defrost it whenever you want to use it. For added tastiness, toss in some bonito flakes and/or dried shiitake mushrooms before you apply heat. Or you can buy some pre-made stock powder from an asian grocery, if you like death by sodium.

Anyway, when you've got the dashi ready, you'll need some other stuff:

- 4 eggs - soy sauce - sake and sugar OR mirin - rice vinegar (optional) - note: don't add too much liquid, or you'll screw up the omelette.

Crack the four eggs into a bowl (you can leave out most of the yolks if you're worried about the cholesterol), then add a few tablespoons of dashi and soy sauce (about equal portions work, maybe a little more of the dashi--maybe 4-5 tbsp total), and a little bit of the other stuff. Beat it all thoroughly, then strain it.

Cook it like you would any other omelette (brush a thin layer of cooking oil into a heated frying pan, then pour in the mixture). The cookbook I got this recipe from tells you to fold over the omelette in a special way so that you can cut it into fancy designs, but unless you're entertaining, screw that. If you want to add something, go for some grated or diced radish, tofu, seaweed, sesame seeds, etc.

If you accidentally add too much liquid, that's okay, just press down on it with a spatula, turn the heat up, and cook the excess liquid out. It'll be more like scrambled eggs than an omelette, but still very tasty.