Recipe: Omurice

As eggs and rice comprise about 50% of my weekday dinners, I'm always on the lookout for new (easy) ways to prepare these staples. My favourite quick dinner is cheesy sriracha scrambled egg rice. On late work days when I can't even compel myself to turn on the stove, I make fried eggs on my George Foreman grill...or easier yet, cook them in the microwave. This week I came across a Western-influenced Japanese creation that combines eggs and rice in a way I hadn't seen before -- the omurice.

The Google Image results for "omurice" showcase its basic structure: rice fried with chicken, vegetables, and ketchup, wrapped in a fried egg. Presentation of the dish, particularly in Japan and Korea, varies more than the ingredients, taking any form from slumbering bear to Hello Kitty. I set the bar low by going for the burrito look.

bear omurice (http://grist.org/list/omurice-cute-animal-shaped-omelettes/)

I found an omurice recipe on Just One Cookbook and went about gathering ingredients:

• 0.5 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 small chicken thigh (sliced)
• 0.5 cup frozen vegetables (I used corn)
• 1.5 cups cooked white rice
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• black pepper
• 1 egg (I used 2)
• splash of milk
• slice of cheddar cheese (broken into small pieces)

In a bit of olive oil, I fried the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes.

I added the chicken pieces and seasoned them with a splash of soy sauce (unmeasured).

When the chicken was nearly cooked I added the frozen corn (to give it a head start on defrosting), then the rice. I mixed in a fairly generous amount of ketchup (again, unmeasured) and some black pepper.

I put the fried rice in a bowl and set it aside.

I broke two eggs into a bowl and whisked them with a splash of milk. Although the recipe called for one egg, I decided to use two for fear that my wrap would be too thin and break (next time I'll try with one egg for a thinner crepe-like wrap).

I heated a bit of olive oil in a frying pan and poured the egg in, tilting the pan around to distribute it evenly. When the egg was semi-cooked I spread cheddar cheese pieces over its surface.

When the egg was cooked I turned off the stove and carefully piled the rice along a diameter of the egg circle and wrapped it up. The large amount of rice presented a bit of a wrapping challenge, but most of it stayed in place.

I put the omurice on a plate and topped it with a bit more ketchup.

The omurice turned out pretty tasty. I particularly enjoyed the sweet and sticky ketchup-y rice. The soy sauce chicken provided a nice savoury flavour. Though the egg wrap was bland, eaten with the filling it tasted fine. With all of the rice, as well as protein from the chicken and egg, an omurice makes for a pretty filling meal. I'd make it again, as it was simple, a bit of a change from my usual dinners, and utilizes ingredients that I typically have on hand. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy trying new recipes from other parts of the world (especially simple ones that even I can't mess up!). If you have any recipe suggestions from where you live (or anywhere!) I'd love to hear them.