A delicious, silky-smooth Korean omelette: Tornado Eggs! Especially delicious with easy, 10-minute Ginger Fried Rice.
My daughter describes Tornado Eggs as, “Eggs, but better.” Yup, Tornado Eggs are EXACTLY that.
Soft, fluffy layers of eggs. Bundled into a beautiful twist. Melt-in-your-mouth texture with ribbons of silky, velvety smooth eggs. SO GOOD!
What are Tornado Egg Omelettes?
Tornado Eggs are a popular South Korean street food. Basically, they are a type of omelette. What sets them apart are the layers of silky smooth eggs that twist together, like a tornado.
Originating in Japan, they also go by the names Tornado Omurice, Tornado Omelettes, Egg Tornados, or Omelette Rice. They gained widespread appeal from viral TikTok and YouTube videos, where the most popular video has over 18 million views!
How do I eat Tornado Eggs?
Tornado Eggs are typically served over fried rice. As an Asian-style omelette, rice and eggs are a classic pairing.
Although you could serve over plain white rice, making a 10-minute Ginger Fried Rice is fast and easy. And even more delicious with the soft layers of folded egg.
Sometimes, Tornado Egg Omelettes are served with sauce. Either a demi-glace sauce or some type of curry, ranging from Japanese style curry to Butter Chicken. If I have it on hand, I’ll add it.
But 90% of the time, I make it with my simple Ginger Fried Rice. Because this recipe is really about the Tornado Omelette more than anything else!
Ingredients:
- Eggs. As the main ingredient, use the best you can find. I recommend organic, free-run eggs for their flavor and color.
- Day-old Rice. Leftover rice that’s been refrigerated overnight makes the best fried rice.
- Ginger. Organic ginger has more peppery bite!
- Green Onion. A staple Korean aromatic that adds color and flavor.
Instructions:
Make Ginger Fried Rice:
- Saute ginger + green onions in a non-stick skillet. Add cold, day-old rice, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss a few times to combine.
- Scoop Ginger Fried Rice into a ramekin and turn upside down onto a plate. Now you have a pretty mold of fried rice!
Make Tornado Egg Omelette:
- Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk well with a pinch of salt. Optional: put the eggs in a sieve for extra silky texture.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat until hot, then add a little oil. Add eggs. Grab ends with chopsticks, turning the pan to create those beautiful, twisted ribbons of egg. Plate immediately. Enjoy!
PRO Tips:
- Prep Ginger Fried Rice first. Tornado Eggs cook amazingly fast. Like done in 60 seconds fast. When finished, you’ll want to eat immediately.
- Whisk well. Whisk eggs until no clumps whatsoever! Press through a sieve for even silkier eggs, if you like.
- Use a non-stick pan. To twist properly, the eggs need to glide and move around easily.
- Pay attention to pan size. If the pan is too big, the eggs will spread out and be harder to twist. I use an 8″ non-stick skillet for 2 eggs and a 9.75″ non-stick skillet for 3 eggs.
- Preheat the pan The pan needs to be hot. When you add the eggs, the eggs should immediately bubble and the edges start to firm. It’s too hot, it will overcook and be hard to twist! If it’s not hot enough, the eggs won’t twist but tear as you turn the pan.
- Use LARGE chopsticks with blunt ends. Fine, pointy-ended chopsticks are too small. I use long, melamine cooking chopsticks with blunt ends. The perfect utensil for the eggs to hold onto while it twists!
- Keep a small gap between the chopstick ends. When you first start twisting, there’s a natural temptation to bring the chopsticks together. But for ribbony layers of eggs that mound nicely — keep a 1-2 inch gap between the chopstick ends.
- Spin the pan! Rotate the pan away from you while keeping chopsticks firmly in place.
Other egg recipes you may enjoy:
- Gyeran Jjim (Korean steamed Egg)
- Japanese Okonomiyaki with Fried Egg + Kimchi
- Air Fryer Hong Kong Frech Toast
- Instant Pot Cinnamon Creme Brulee
Korean Tornado Egg Omelette with Ginger Fried Rice
Equipment
- Non-stick skillet (for fried rice)
- Large, blunt-end chopsticks
- 8" non-stick skillet for 2 egg Tornado Omelette OR
- 9.75" non-stick skillet for 3 egg Tornado Omelette
- optional: fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
Ginger Fried Rice
- 2 green onions, chopped finely
- 1/2 inch ginger, grated
- 1-2 tsp oil (any neutral tasting oil works)
- 2 cups cold, day-old rice
Tornado Egg Omelette
- 4 eggs (large, organic) *for 2 egg omelettes
- pinch salt
Instructions
Ginger Fried Rice:
- Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add oil, ginger, and green onions and let it sizzle away for 30-60 seconds. When fragrant, add cold, day-old rice and break up large chunks with a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss a few times to combine and cook until rice is heated through and no longer hard, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
- Evenly divide Ginger Fried Rice into 2 portions. Scoop each portion into an 8-ounce ramekin, patting down with the back of a spoon. Turn upside down onto a plate. Remove ramekin, leaving behind a perfectly shaped mound of fried rice.
Tornado Eggs:
- Make 1 omelette at a time: Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk well with a pinch of salt. Optional: put the eggs in a sieve for extra silky texture.
- Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a little oil (about 1 tsp) and swirl around. Add eggs. They should immediately spread out into the pan. When you see bubbles and firm edges, grab the edges with chopsticks and move towards each other, leaving a gap between the chopstick ends. Turn the pan away from you while keeping the chopsticks in place, facing you. As the eggs cook and start twisting, keep turning the pan. Jiggle and shake the pan from time to time, so the uncooked egg will fall down to the bottom of the pan.
- Plate Tornado Eggs immediately on top of fried rice. Repeat with 2nd omelette. Enjoy!
