An omelet stuffed with chicken rice and drizzled with ketchup may sound like a meal for kids, and – well, it is. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying this simple and comforting dish with lots of room for variety!
Omunaisu!
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First rice, then omu
This recipe is very quick and simple. Just chop some onions and chicken, toss it with cooked rice and seasonings. Then make the omelets, divide the filling and wrap it in them. This is the very popular home-cooked version that a lot of Japanese kids have grown up with.
80g of dry rice per serving may not look like much, but trust me that it’ll be quite filling. Just make sure to pop it in the rice cooker ahead of time, or use up leftover rice.
Lvl 1 vs. lvl 99 Omurice
There is a flashier version of it that is much harder to get right. You may have seen viral videos of an omelet being placed on top of a mound of rice and then cut open. Even though the egg looks cooked, it’s still very runny on the inside and spills out in a very satisfying way. Kyoto-based Kichi Kichi Omurice is probably the most online-famous restaurant for this variety of Omurice, thanks in large part to its upbeat, pink-haired chef.
There are many variations of both the sauce and filling out there, but this Ketchup-based recipe is probably the most classic and simple. Feel free to fill it with whatever you like; for example, I recommend adding some shredded cheese to the filling right before wrapping it in the egg.
Recipe credit
Like most of my recipes, I started this one out by basing it largely on an existing one, specifically the Just One Cookbook Omurice recipe. In this case, I adjusted the ratio of ingredients quite drastically, and simplified a lot of the steps.
In Japan, I’ve only had Omurice once so far, meeting a friend in Yokohama at Pomme Tree a few years back. I can’t say that it was particularly outstanding, but it did open my eyes to the large variety of Omurice fillings and sauces out there.
Omurice (Omuraisu)
Ingredients
Chicken rice
- 1 yellow onion small
- 200 g chicken legs no skin or bones
- 160 g Japanese short-grain rice uncooked amount
- 70 g cooked peas canned
- 15 g butter
Chicken rice seasonings
- 0.5 tsp salt
- some black pepper freshly ground
- 75 ml ketchup plus more for topping!
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Omelets
- 4 eggs large
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 30 g butter
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Start cooking your rice and return to the kitchen 10-15 minutes before it's done.
- Cut the chicken into pieces 2 cm wide and long, removing any fat in the process.
- Peel and finely mince the onion.
Make the chicken rice
- Heat up 1 tbsp (15g) of butter over medium-high heat.
- Once it's fully melted, add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the chicken to the pan, season with the salt (0.5 tsp) and pepper.
- Fry until the chicken is no longer pink, flipping it regularly.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then add the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir to mix well and fry for another 2-3 minutes to reduce moisture.
- Add the cooked rice and break up the clumps.
- Add the peas.
- Mix well and divide the chicken rice into however many servings you are making.
- Turn the heat to very low to keep it warm.
Make the omelet(s)
- You need to make and stuff the omelets one at a time. If desired, turn your oven to low heat to keep the first serving(s) of omurice warm as you're making the rest.
- Crack two eggs in a bowl and add 0.25 tsp of salt.
- Beat thoroughly to break the egg whites.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Once it's hot and starts to bubble (but not brown), pour in the beaten egg.
- Tilt the pan to distribute the egg evenly and fry it until still slightly runny. Turn the heat off so it doesn't cook fully.
Assemble
- Transfer one serving of chicken rice from the other pan onto the omelet.
- Mold it into a small mound that runs along the middle from one side of the pan to the other, at a 90-degree angle to the handle.
- Slide it away from the handle by tilting the pan.
- Carefully fold the sides of the omelet over it. The lower side should be folded up naturally by the side of the pan.
- Flip the omelet on a plate in a quick, but smooth motion.
- It should be the shape of a rugby ball. If it isn't, mold it with your spatula or hands, but don't burn yourself.
- If desired, put it in the pre-heated oven while you make the other omelets.
- Drizzle some ketchup on top of the omelet(s) in a zigzag motion and keep the bottle handy at the table. Enjoy!
