Omuraisu

On LJ for like... two weeks there kept being posts for Omuraisu. I'm part of the "Picturing Food" community, which I like to look at in between posts that let me keep up from old high school friends. It's a nice thing to see all the different things people eat. And after I saw Omuraisu, I had such a craving for it... it's something I'd never had before, so I don't know how I could crave it, but for some reason the idea of ketchup stir-fried rice with eggs on top just did me on. I had to have it.

So after spending hours on Just Hungry just looking at all the food and also reading about the different types of japanese cuisine, I was stoked to make it. I had no idea there were Westernized foods. I also didn't know one of my favourite dishes, made by one of my high school friend's japanese mom, was a Westernized dish. Tonkatsu. I'm guessing it came from schnitzel. But gosh darn it's good.

Oh, but right, this post is about Omuraisu. I set out to make omuraisu after this craving. I had a bag of brown rice in my fridge so I made a whole bunch of it early, and then realized I couldn't make omuraisu, but I forget the reason now. I believe an ingredient was missing, though I'm no longer sure of what that was. Then I waited until Monday to make it, and was super excited to go home and make omuraisu, delicious omuraisu, and eat it while watching some cartoons. But I had to work really late at work, I didn't get home until 10 or so, they even offered me dinner at work and I said No. No thank you. I'm going to make Omuraisu tonight.

And I did.
The recipe on Just Hungry is very general. Brown rice, chicken or ham, onions, ketchup, eggs. And the eggs are just, well, eggs. Most recipes were like that, and I... I wanted more in my stir fried rice. So while I did stir fry it with ketchup (though I ran out....) I also added corn, peas, and of course had the onions and chicken.
The omlette I made the way I make omlettes, which is with a little bit of milk and water for fluffiness, cooked slowly. I put cheese in the middle (cheddar and parmesan), because that sounded good while I was making it too. Yes. Cheesy, ketchupy, eggy stir fried rice.

And it was good. It was japanese comfort food, and it comforted me after a long day of work. I was exhausted, and it was the perfect ending. I scarfed it down, watched cartoons, and enjoyed a good nights sleep. Next time though I think I'll make less.


Omuraisu
Recipe adapted from Just Hungry

1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 small sweet onion, sliced
1/2 chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1/8 cup combined thawed frozen corn and peas
shredded cheddar and parmesan cheese, just a small handful
butter
ketchup
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
a few drops of water
salt and pepper

Saute the onion until transparent in the butter. Add the chicken stir/saute until done. Add the rice and veggies, toss until heated through. Add about 2 tablespoons of ketchup, just enough to flavor the rice but not make it soggy. Season with salt and peper and mound onto the plate (or save for putting it in the omlette).

Spray a pan well with non-stick spray. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and water, and whisk well with a beater, add a little salt and pepper. Pour the eggs into the pan and cook on low to medium-low heat until heated thoroughly and the middle is just slightly soft in the middle. Put the cheese in the middle and fold, allowing the heat to cook and melt the cheese. Serve with a small amount of ketchup if desired.

Alternatively, you can put the rice inside the omlette, which I was tempted to do-- but didn't, because man, that was a lot of rice.