From an early age, Monica Lee writes in her new cookbook, it was clear she possessed “sohn-mat,” the Korean term for a natural instinct for cooking that translates to “flavor in the fingertips.” It’s such an important part of her story — she never saw a measuring cup or spoon even as she ran a Koreatown restaurant in Los Angeles for decades — that it became the title of the book.
After jumping at the chance to order a special rectangular tamagoyaki pan , I followed the book’s expert guidance — finessed by co-author Tien Nguyen. It soon became clear that the most important instructions were to adjust the heat so that the egg mixture would be barely set on the bottom while still runny on top when I rolled each layer; that’s what creates one homogenous piece .