OMURICE FTW!

29Jun10

I studied Japanese in college, so over the years I’ve developed an intense love of Japanese food and food culture. One classic dish that I’ve always been curious about is Omurice, a fried rice omelet. Omurice (aka omuraisu or omu-rice) consists of chicken fried rice (usually flavored with sweet Japanese-style ketchup) and served with a quick, cheese-less omelette. The first time I saw the dish prepared was in the classic Japanese film “Tampopo”:

The “Tampopo Method” is more traditional. But sometimes, the rice is folded inside the omelette instead:

For this week’s outing, I decided to go with the Tampopo style presentation. I used leftover fried rice from yesterday’s lunch, but you could make your own fried rice from scratch if you prefer. This is a quick, easy breakfast idea to use up leftovers and add a little variety to your breakfast routine.

OMURICE

Serves one
You will need…

1 1/2 cups of leftover fried rice (I used leftover chicken fried rice from the Thai place around the corner. I added a teaspoon of my favorite curry powder for a little extra flavor)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
Ketchup or Sriracha to taste

1. In a small wok or saute pan, heat one tablespoon of the oil until quite hot. Add your leftover fried rice to the pan, and reheat until piping hot. Place on serving plate and move on to the next step.

2. Scramble two eggs in a small bowl using chopsticks or a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and swirl to coat. Add the eggs and scramble in the pan, forming a curd-like texture. I did my own camera work today, so I wasn’t able to get as many action shots as I would have liked. But that Tampopo video really gives you an idea of the right technique for cooking and folding the eggs.

The ideal consistency for this omelette is very moist, tender, and not browned at all. You’ll want to cook it over high heat for no more than 2 minutes, and remove it from the pan while it is still slightly wet.

4. Place the omelette on top of the fried rice, and drizzle with ketchup, sriracha, or another condiment of your choice. Golden curry would be lovely on top of this!

5. Devour immediately, and with gusto!

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