Omurice

I stumbled across this Japanese dish whilst scrolling down social media and I knew I had to give it a try. Omurice, a combination fried-rice dish topped with a light runny omelette which when sliced open wraps itself over the rice, resembeling a blooming flower, and is completely unctious.

Ingredients 

serves 1 

for the rice

50g shitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
50g onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp light soy sauce
150g cooked Japanese short-grain rice, (sushi) 
3 tbsp Tonkatsu sauce, (Japanese ketchup)
    (or 2 tbsp tomato ketchup,  2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp mirin)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

for the omelette
3 eggs
1 tbsp single cream or milk
pinch salt
20g unsalted butter, cubed

for garnish
Spring onions
Tonkatsu sauce 

Method

Prepare the rice before hand, even a day ahead. Cook as require, drain, rinse with cold water and allow to cool. 

In a small non-stick frying pan over a medium- hot heat bring the veg oil to temperature before adding the onions. Cook until they begin to colour then add the mushrooms, and a splash of soy sauce. 

Fry until the mushrooms appear cooked. 

Reduce the temperature and add the rice.  Mix the ingredient, then create a well in the centre, revealing the base of the pan. Add the Tonkatsu sauce and allow to cook for a minute before stirring well to combine thoroughly.

Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to your taste.  Place the rice on your plate in an oval shaped mound. 

Wipe the frying pan with kitchen paper, just making sure there's no rice left over.

Return the pan to a high medium-heat and add the butter to melt. Be careful not to burn/brown the butter. That would make a dirty looking omelette.

In the meantime crack the three eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, a little cream and whisk.

Once the butter has melted and is bubbling away nicely add the eggs.

Quickly give the egg mixture a stir, from the edges inwards to create long curds of scrambled eggs. Shake the pan to resettle the uncooked egg. After about a minute or two the bottom of the eggs should begin to cook and firm up. 

Whilst the top is still uncooked remove from the heat and leave to stand for a minute.

Using a spatula begin to fold the omelette.  It's not easy as the idea is that the top of the omelette is still runny. One final fold and a gentle flip like tossing a pancake onto the folded edges to seal it.  You may need to put it back over the heat to help with the seal. 

You should end up with a wobbly omelette, runny on the inside. 

Carefully slide the omelette on top of the ketchup rice. 

Drizzle with some more ketchup and scatter over some slices of spring onions.

Serve immediately. 

Hopefully when you cut into the omelette it oozes out over the rice, looking like a blooming flower.