This East-West dish of ketchup-flavored fried rice encased in an omelet is very popular in Japan, and with good reason: It’s a great way to use up leftovers, it’s quick to cook up and makes for a satisfying meal any time of the day or night. Feel free to replace the chicken with more vegetables (perhaps mushrooms?) for a vegetarian version, or try deli ham, bacon or pork in place of chicken. For the best Japanese rice omelet, be sure to use cold day-old rice for the best texture; freshly cooked rice will give you gummy fried rice. Also, instead of inverting the omelet over the fried rice on a plate, you can make a conventional omelet and add the fried rice to the pan on top of the omelet, then roll or fold it and slide it from the pan. I think it’s a little trickier to prepare the dish that way, but either style is fine.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 2 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola oil or safflower oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 boneless skinless chicken thigh (about 3 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots (see Cook’s Note), defrosted
- 2 loosely packed cups cold cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 2 scant tablespoons ketchup, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 scallion (optional), sliced on the bias
- Kosher salt
- Ground white or black pepper
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon instant dashi powder, such as Ajinomoto’s Hondashi, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water (optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as canola oil or safflower oil
- Ketchup, for drizzling
Instructions
- For the fried rice: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium, add the peas and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, about 1 minute.
- Add the rice and cook, breaking up clumps with a metal spatula or large spoon, until heated through and evenly combined with the other ingredients, 2 to 3 minutes. Create a little hole in the center of the rice, add the ketchup to it and stir for about 15 seconds to caramelize it a bit. Add the soy sauce and scallion (if using), season with salt and pepper and stir until the rice is evenly coated, about 30 seconds more; add a splash of water to the pan if the mixture is very dry.
- Divide the rice into 2 shallow 1- to 1 1/2-cup bowls. Gently pack the rice into the bowls with the back of a spoon. One at a time, place the center of a dinner plate upside down over a bowl. Firmly hold the plate and bowl together and invert them. Set the plate on the counter with the bowl upside down still covering the rice. Repeat with the remaining rice and bowl. Set aside.
- For the omelets: Beat the eggs, dashi powder (if using), and salt and pepper to taste together in a 2-cup measuring cup.
- Heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a 6-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add half of the egg mixture and quickly stir until lots of small curds form, about 30 seconds, then spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Clean up the edges so you have a nice round shape and cook until the eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds more. (The top of the omelet should be loose and creamy; if needed, tilt the pan to let any pools of raw egg run under the omelet.)
- Bring the skillet to one of the plates and remove the bowl to uncover the rice. Tilt the skillet and, using a large metal spatula as an aid, carefully invert the omelet over the center of the rice. (Don’t worry if the omelet tears; you can patch it and cover it with ketchup.) Using your hands and a paper towel placed over the omelet, press the omurice into a football shape; if you like, gently push the edges of the omelet under the rice for a cleaner appearance.
- Repeat with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and egg mixture. Drizzle the top of each omelet with ketchup and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 2 servings |
| Calories | 1000 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 173 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 303 mg |
| Sodium | 1039 mg |
Reviews
Good, my friends all said what I cooked is nice but I found it a little bit bland tho but overall it is alr!