With savory tomato ketchup fried rice wrapped in a soft and thin omelette, Omurice or Omelette Rice is a Western-influenced Japanese dish that‘s popular among Japanese of all ages. This easy recipe is inspired by the Japanese drama Midnight Diner.
Fried rice flavored with the beloved American condiment ketchup and encased in a golden omelette pillow, Omurice (オムライス) or Omelette Rice may not be your typical choice when you visit your local Japanese restaurants. It’s easy to mistake the dish as a fairly recent fusion invention of modern Japanese cuisine.
However, this humble dish has been a popular yoshoku (western-style Japanese food) for over a century. That’s right! It is a Japanese rendition of ‘mash-up’ comfort food at its best. It’s got grain, vegetables, proteins, and a big bright sunny disposition, enough to make a fried rice fiend wake up hungry.
This delicious Omurice was featured on the popular Japanese TV drama called “Shinya Shokudo (深夜食堂)” or “Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories” which is available on Netflix.
Omurice and Yoshoku
Omurice (オムライス) is a loanword from both Omelette (Omuretsu, オムレツ) and Rice (raisu, ライス). In this recipe, fried rice is seasoned with the sweet and sour flavor of ketchup and tomato puree, and tucked inside a thin blanket of a golden fluffy omelette. It’s sweet and savory, the whole ensemble of Omurice is just so comforting to many Japanese people that it is considered one of the most popular yoshoku (western-style Japanese food).
Yoshoku started to appear around the Meiji Era (1868–1912) after Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy and opened the ports to the West. Tonkatsu, Korokke, Hambagu, Curry Rice, Doria (rice gratin), Cabbage Roll, Spaghetti Napolitan, and Omurice are just some of the familiar dishes in the category. They have katakana names to emphasize their foreignness, using the word “raisu” (ライス, rice) instead of “gohan” (ご飯, rice) for example. Another easy way to tell these dishes apart? They are often served with fork, knife, and spoons, instead of chopsticks.
At the time, foreign ingredients were difficult to find in Japan so people made yoshoku using local ingredients. Even though the dishes may look like Western dishes, the taste is still distinctly Japanese. I think that has unintentionally made yoshoku dishes uniquely Japanese.
You may have noticed the abundant use of ketchup in Western-style Japanese dishes. Brought in by the American army who came to Japan after World War II, ketchup was used in dishes to replace tomato sauce which was not easily accessible then. Since it is convenient and tasty, ketchup continues to become the mainstay in the Japanese kitchen pantry.
Who Invented Omurice?
There are 2 strong theories on Omurice’s origin.
Theory 1: When the owner at a yoshoku restaurant Hokkyokusei (北極星) in Osaka learned about a regular customer who wasn’t feeling well, he quickly cooked up simple fried rice with mushrooms and onion seasoned with ketchup, and carefully wrapped with omelette to serve the customer so he would regain his stamina. The customer loved it so much that he asked for the menu name. The sharp-witted owner came up with the name “Omurice”. This Omurice is much closer to what Omurice is now.
Theory 2: Simple fried rice with egg, onion, and minced meat was served as a meal for workers at Renga-tei (煉瓦亭) in Tokyo. Other customers were drawn by the vibrant egg fried rice that they started requesting it, and that’s how Omurice became an official restaurant menu.
Whichever story you prefer, I think it all started with Omurice’s ability to hit the right spot, especially when you crave comfort food.
Omurice (Omelette Rice) – 2 Ways
In general, there are two ways to make Omurice. The original one called Ganso Omurice (元祖オムライス) is to wrap the fried rice with a thin omelette, like the one I shared today. Some people prefer light yellow omelette (no burn spot), but I personally prefer my Omurice to have a slightly golden color (which adds flavor) and the omelette is still creamy and soft on the inside.
The second style of Omurice is called Fuwatoro Omurice (ふわとろオムライス). First, you make ketchup fried rice and transfer it to the plate. Then you make the omelette, and while it’s fluffy (fuwa) and runny (toro), place it on top of the ketchup fried rice. Before serving, you slice the center of omelette and runny egg yolk to cover the fried rice. You might have seen this style of Omurice in the movie Tanpopo. Hence, it’s also called Tanpopo Omurice (タンポポオムライス).
Which one is your favorite style?
Variations of Omurice (Omelette Rice)
Here is the list of Omurice variations that I have seen or thought of. As you can see, the possibility is endless. Feel free to take the liberty to use whatever ingredients you have in the fridge and make your own version. Creativity is welcome when comes to making Omurice!
Fried Rice Ingredients
- Ham
- Chicken
- Seafood
- Onion
- Carrot
- Green peas
- Mushrooms
Fried Rice Flavor
- Ketchup
- Tomato sauce
- Butter
- Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
Sauce over Omurice
- Tomato Ketchup
- Tomato Sauce (sometimes with extra tomatoes, mushrooms, seafood or more ingredients)
- White Sauce / Bechamel Sauce (sometimes with seafood)
- Japanese Curry Sauce
- Hayashi Sauce
- Demi-glace sauce
- Ankake (starchy thick sauce)
Filling or Additions on top of Omurice
- Cheese
- Hambagu
- Fried Fish
- Korokke
- Herbs
The cooking method for Omurice is really quite simple. It’s a perfect quick one-dish meal for busy moms, college students, and singles as you can whip it up in a short time. Trust me, nothing beats good fried rice with a fluffy egg. I hope you enjoy making Omurice at home!
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Omurice (Omelette Rice)
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ onion (2.1 oz, 60 g)
- 4 mushrooms (1.8 oz, 50 g)
- 4 slices ham (2.8 oz, 80 g; or 2 thick slices)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 3 Tbsp green peas (defrosted and drained, if frozen)
- ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice (cooled or day old; frozen cooked rice works well)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
For the Tomato Sauce
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp water
For the Omelette
- 4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (divided)
- 2 Tbsp milk (divided)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. For the cooked rice, please note that ¾ cup (150 g, 1 rice cooker cup) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yields 2¼ US cups (330 g) of cooked rice. See how to cook it with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe. Make sure your cooked rice is at room temperature or slightly warmer. If you‘re using frozen cooked rice, defrost and warm it. Tip: If your cooked rice is still hot, transfer it to a large bowl or baking sheet (for more surface area). Spread it out and set aside for 60 minutes, uncovered, to remove the moisture.
To Make the Ketchup Fried Rice
- To make the tomato sauce, combine 3 Tbsp ketchup, 3 Tbsp tomato paste, and 2 Tbsp water in a small saucepan and mix all together. Set aside.
- Clean 4 mushrooms with damp towel and slice them.
- Slice ¼ onion and dice into small pieces.
- Cut 4 slices ham and dice into small pieces.
- In a 10-inch frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil. Add the onion and sauté.
- Add 3 Tbsp green peas, the mushroom slices, and the ham slices.
- Season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Add 2 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice (cooled). Break up the chunks of rice with a spatula.
- When the rice and ingredients are combined well, add 3–4 Tbsp of the tomato ketchup sauce and mix well. Make sure to save some sauce for the topping. Divide the fried rice in 2 portions.
To Make the Omurice (makes 2)
- Make one omurice at a time. First, crack 2 eggs in a small bowl and add 1 Tbsp milk and a pinch of salt. Whisk it all together.
- Heat another frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp butter. Swirl the pan to distribute the melted butter, then add the beaten egg.
- Quickly swirl the egg around the pan with chopsticks. When the mixture is set but still runny, add one portion of ketchup fried rice in the middle. If you feel the pan is getting too hot, remove the pan from the heat and put on top of a damp towel to cool the pan.
- Wrap the ketchup rice on both sides with the egg omelette. It doesn’t have to be perfectly wrapped, but make sure to create an “edge” around the fried rice with the omelette.
- Place the serving plate under the pan and invert the pan to transfer the omelette rice.
- Place a piece of paper towel on top and gently shape the omelette like an American football or rubgy ball. Repeat this process to make the other omurice.
To Serve
- Top the omurice with some tomato ketchup sauce that‘s either at room temperature or reheated. Garnish the omurice with parsley. Enjoy!
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a month.
I made this for the first time and it was a fantastic easy recipe for when you’ve had a busy day at work with including some leftover stirfry veges. Wonderful.
Hi Tresna! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Great to hear you liked it, and I like that you used leftover for this recipe. So smart! 🙂
[…] Omurice (recipe) […]
I don’t know if it will ever get a reply, but here I go, can this dish be made without adding ham/chicken? And only fried rice (w/ vegetables etc)?
Hi Rajat! Yes, you can! I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I took you seriously when you said to be creative! I’m not fond of ketchup but I do love your okonomiyaki sauce that has ketchup in it. I also had some salted salmon that needed to be used so I made salmon fried rice with the addition of the okonomiyaki sauce. Yum!!! The egg drizzled with the sauce over the rice was melt in your mouth good! Thank you for your recipes.
Hi Melanie! I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for sharing your stories! xo 🙂
I love this recipe. It’s so good! I made it a few weeks ago and that was my first time to have omurice. It is much better than I expected. At first ketchup and rice sounds a bit strange (almost like something you whip up as a broke college student when you need a midnight snack, haha) but it’s really wonderful. The tomato sauce makes the flavor more mild.
I tried this and the other version you have posted and I preferred this one just because of the ease of using chopped deli meat. Any day I can avoid the prep and cleanup of raw meat in my kitchen is a good day for me! Sometimes convenience is a blessing. Also, the salty/smoky ham flavor pairs very nicely with the umami flavor of tomatoes.
Last night I had a small tragedy. I was at a restaurant and was very excited to see they had omurice on the menu. It even showed it with ketchup on top in the picture. When I got the food… it was just Chinese-style fried rice with an omelet over the top. No ketchup inside or out! Did not fulfill my craving at all. 🙁 So I made some at home tonight. Yatta! 😀
My tip for beginners: do not be discouraged if you break the omelette. I’ve made it three times now and have yet to get it onto the plate in one piece! Haha! It takes practice. I get closer each time! I watched videos of the proper flipping technique for omurice on Youtube. I will keep practicing!!!
Hi Lion! Thank you for trying this recipe! We can’t really find a Japanese restaurant here that serves Omurice, so your restaurant that serves Omurice is very interesting! Probably stealing a picture on the internet if it is a different food (blogger’s inside joke as our food pictures are always stolen by restaurants’ menus and websites). Omurice takes some practice and I don’t make perfect one… especially I don’t make it often enough. Ketchup and rice is such an interesting combination but it brings nostalgic taste to us – the taste we used to eat when we are small… 🙂 Good luck with practicing!
[…] really popular Japanese Yoshoku (Japanese fusion) recipe, Omurice is one of my children’s favorite meals. The rice is pan-fried with ketchup and chicken, then […]
[…] Omurice (Omelette Rice) […]
[…] you have any leftovers, the sauce is great for serving over Omurice (omelet and rice) or Japanese style hamburger steak (Hambagu). These dishes are common on the menu at Yoshoku-ya […]
Hi, your recipe was easy to follow and results were great. I’ve made it twice for my family. My children would like to have cheese inside. May I know what kind of cheese should I use?
Hi Gemma! Thank you for trying my recipe! To be honest, any cheese that your children like would work. 🙂
I love the idea of this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Is there anyway to make the egg fully cooked? I don’t like runny eggs.
Hi BellR! Yeah, at step 3 (of making omurice), add the rice when you cook the egg completely. It’ll be like a sheet of egg omelette. 🙂 When it’s still soft, it’s much easier to flip and attach to the rice. So you might need to be extra careful when you flip. 🙂
What can I substitute ham with?
Hi Julie! It can be chicken pieces, ground meat (turkey, chicken, pork, beef) or it can be anything… if you don’t need protein, then you can add more vegetables too. 🙂
Love this recipe. I make it everytime im craving omurice
Hi Mailyn! Thank you so much! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! xo
Thank you for this recipe and the video. I haven’t had omurice since my last trip to Japan and this is the week I learn to make it.
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
One of my go to meals when in Japan! My football shape was always a bit lumpy looking. I liked to put in cheese. I also smothered it in Japanese mayo, sauce and ketchup. I never liked ketchup on eggs until I had this.
Hi Anna! My football shape doesn’t look good either, until I shape up with paper towel on top. 😉 Happy to hear you enjoy Omurice in Japan!
Hey Nami,
I love how well your omurice turn out, it looks so delicious i just wish i could eat it.
I do have a question regarding how long can i keep it, i would like to make it early in the morning to eat at lunch, so it’ll have roughly 5hrs sitting in my lunch bag, do you think i should put it in a fridge or just leave it in room temperature? I know that rice get hard once it’s sitting in a fridge for too long
Thank you for your answer
Hi Thuyanh! Thank you for your kind words! I hadn’t made omurice for a while, so I think my omurice was particularly successful, especially I get nervous when filming… 🙂
True, rice gets hard when it’s refrigerated. I would wrap in a thick kitchen towel so the rice won’t be too cold. It’s the safest – especially if you live in a warmer place. If you can microwave, it helps a little to fluff it up. 🙂