Omurice is a Japanese fusion dish of fried rice wrapped or topped with an omelet, often served with ketchup. It is a yohshoku meal and a feature of waitress cafes, with many variations and references in Japanese popular culture.
Omurice, or omu-raisu, is a Japanese fusion dish that typically consists of fried rice wrapped or topped with an omelet. It is often served with ketchup which is sometimes used to spell out a message or the diner’s name. The name is a portmanteau of the word omelet and rice, and omurice is an example of yohshoku, or a meal of Western origins modified to fit the Japanese palette. The dish is a feature of waitress cafes, and there are many references to the meal in Japanese popular culture.
There are many variations of this simple dish to prepare. The filling is usually some type of fried rice which may include vegetables, meat or seafood. Some restaurants, especially in Tokyo, only serve omurice and offer a seemingly endless variety of fillings and toppings, such as curry or hayashi beef sauce. The dish is also commonly served in school cafeterias, department stores, and family restaurants as part of a children’s set menu, or okosama ranchi.
The filling can be made with leftover cooked rice and is typically flavored with boiled chicken breast or ham and onions or other vegetables. The vegetables and meat are sautéed in a large skillet or wok until cooked through and the cooked rice is added and tossed until heated through. A little ketchup or stock is added to color and flavor the filling without making it soggy. The filling is then seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
Once the filling has been prepared, the eggs are cracked and beaten in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. This mixture is then poured into a pan and allowed to cook until the edges are done but the center is still slightly runny. At this point, the filling can be added directly onto the cooking omelet, which is then folded over the rice to form a large football shape. Alternatively, the omelet can be carefully flipped out of the pan and onto a mound of plated rice filling. Omurice is often served with ketchup on top and a side of vegetables such as broccoli or potatoes.
This meal is probably one of the most popular at waitress cafes, where waitresses are dressed in French waitress costumes. These cafes are mainly concentrated in the Akihabara area of Tokyo. Diners ordering omurice can usually specify what they want their waitresses to write or draw in ketchup on their plate and food.
Dishes similar to omurice but with different fillings have emerged in recent years. Omusoba uses yakisoba noodles as the filling instead of rice. If the filling is taco rice, the dish is called omutako, which is mostly found in Okinawa.
Many references in Japanese popular culture are made to omurice, especially in anime and manga. For example, in the second episode of the 2011 anime Hanasaku Iroha, the protagonist of her serves her mother’s homily and expresses in her ketchup her disappointment that her mother missed Parents’ Day at school . Additionally, director Juzo Itami includes a scene where omurice is being prepared in his 1985 film Tampopo.
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