Although Japan’s purin (crème caramel/flan) differs somewhat from other countries’, everyone has those days where you just want to down a cup or two of the stuff due to some inexplicable craving. Other times you’re sitting there with a regular old cup of instant ramen and want to liven things up with that great custard taste mixed in.

The problem is that purin usually isn’t always at hand, so these cravings require a trip to the corner store or supermarket. But what if you could make your own custard pudding with minimal effort and using only a single egg? And what if you didn’t even have to break that egg to make it?

This dream may become a reality if an upcoming toy from Japan’s Takara Tomy Arts does what its amazing ad claims.

It’s called the Okashina Tamago Mawashite Mawashite Marugoto Purin (Funny Egg Turning Turning All Around Pudding) and it aims to provide you with some easy pudding – all out of a single raw egg.

We can see how the toy works in this video, which may, incidentally, be the greatest commercial I have ever seen in my life.

First you place the egg inside the toy and then move the lever back and forth for about two minutes.

Next, boil some water, turn off the heat, and place the egg in the hot water for about 30 minutes. When it’s removed you’re left with a shell full of wonderful pudding!

Even though it doesn’t hit the shelves until 25 September, this pudding maker has been generating a lot of buzz on Twitter. Many have chimed in with comments like: “Looks fun, I want to eat it” and “I want this, whatever it is.” Of course, it’s not without its skeptics either, with some people saying: “That pudding is just a steamed egg.”

Sure it is pretty much just a steamed egg, but that means its like a blank slate open to a lot of possibilities. You could squirt some caramel sauce for a purin-style experience or drizzle some chocolate and make a faux canelé from your egg. Or, you could just go ahead and treat it like an egg and put some soy sauce on top, if you insist on being all unimaginative like that.

While the Okashina Tamago Mawashite Mawashite Marugoto Purin might not make purin in the strictest sense of the word, it could be a good way to put a twist on traditional egg recipes for only 2,592 yen (US$25). For example, you could probably make some velvety smooth omelets or scrambled eggs after whipping them through this toy first.

Failing all that, you could always use it to shake your modelling paints.

Source/screenshots: Takara Tomy
Original article by Anji Tabata
[ Read in Japanese ]