Omurice, Japanese Omelette Rice

I am what you call an amateurish Japanese cuisine enthusiast.  I grew up eating and loving Japanese food but my knowledge ends at the menu of a basic Japanese restaurant. They're never even genuine because I never saw a Japanese chef working inside the kitchen or walking out casually in his chef's uniform. Only when I was in my early-thirties, a few meters from my Mom's house, did I walk into an authentic Japanese restaurant with a Japanese chef preparing the food right in front of everyone. For its authenticity, the menu was even in Japanese that for the life in me, couldn't decipher what was written on it. What was even more overwhelming was that the chef / owner didn't speak a single word of English! Luckily, that night, there was an elderly Japanese gentleman close to me who spoke English and voluntarily translated the food. 

In Rome, there is only one Japanese restaurant I frequent after ascertaining that the chef is Japanese. When I saw him preparing food in a television show, I looked him up and dragged my husband to his restaurant. The food was remarkable but they were too intricate to even try remaking at home like what I do sometimes when I am so impressed with something I eat.  Japanese food intimidates me.

When I met a Japanese food blogger maintaining a quick & easy home cooking blog, I was hooked or rather I hooked myself on her.  It opened a window to a world of Japanese home kitchen that I never thought I could do, taste or even imagine trying out. There's a plethora of dishes other that sushi after all!

I already tried some of her recipes and they are all precise to the dot, easy to follow with pictures guiding you in cooking and most of all, they are delicious and definitely genuine.  I got this omurice recipe from her blog, followed all the steps, and the next minute, I am the heroine of my kids.  They loved it! Soy sauce, ketchup, rice, chicken, there's nothing here not to love.  I did this recipe again, in the naked form. I meant without the omelette.  

Meet my friend Nami, the talented author of Just One Cookbook and check out her recipe with pictures to guide you or you can also scroll down to read the recipe if you want to give yourself a boring time reading the procedure. 

Omurice, Japanese Omelette Rice

adapted from Just One Cookbook's Omurice recipe

Ingredients: 
Serves 2 - 3

• 1 chicken thigh, diced
• 1/2 cup mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen, defrosted first)
• 1 cup cooked Japanese rice
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
•  salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon ketchup and more for decorating
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

      Omelette (per person)

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cheese (whatever kind of cheese), grated
• chives, chopped finely (optional, my addition)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil on a non-stick skillet and saute' the onion.
2. When the onion is soft, add chicken and cook until they are no longer pink.
3. Add mixed vegetables.  Season with salt & pepper.
4. Add the rice, breaking clumps.
5. Add ketchup and soy sauce then mix well. 
6. Transfer the rice to a plate and wash the skillet.
7. Whisk the egg, milk and chives in a small bowl.
8. Heat the non-stick skillet on medium high and apply a generous amount of oil. You need to make sure that there is enough oil in order to slide the egg off the pan later on.
9. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet when the surface of the skillet is hot. Quickly swirl the egg mixture around the pan and lower the heat as soon as the egg mixture is half solid.
10. Put the cheese and the fried rice mixture on top of the omelette.
11. Use a spatula to fold both sides toward the middle and shift the pan to move the omurice to the edge of the skillet.
12. Make the omurice slide onto the serving plate.
13. While it’s still hot, shape the omurice with paper towel because it can be too hot to handle.  At this point, you should check the pictures of Nami on what shape she's referring to. I only folded the end parts.  
14. Continue making another set(s) of omurice until you’ve used up all the chicken fried rice. 
15. Decorate the omurice with ketchup. Serve immediately.