 Omurice topped with ketchup | |
| Alternative names | Japanese egg roll fried rice |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Main ingredients | Chicken eggs, rice and ketchup optional |
| Variations | Omu curry, omuhayashi (with hayashi rice), omu-soba, Tampopo omurice |
Omurice or omu-rice (オムライス, omu-raisu) is a Japanese dish[1] consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and a thin layer of scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup.[2][3] It is a well-known dish also commonly cooked at home. Children in particular enjoy omurice. It is often featured in Japan's version of a children's meal, okosama-ranchi (お子様ランチ).[1]
Etymology
With omu and raisu being derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the French word omelette and the English word "rice",[4] the name is an example of wasei-eigo.
History
Stories about the origins of omurice vary. One story says that it originated around the turn of the 20th century[4] at a Western-style restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district called Renga-tei, inspired by chakin-zushi.[5]
Another story says that the dish originated in 1925 at another Western-style restaurant – Hokkyokusei in Minami, Osaka, when a cook decided to enliven a regular customer's order of an omelet with rice.[6]
Variations
The dish typically consists of chikin raisu(ja) (chicken rice: rice pan-fried with ketchup and chicken) wrapped in a thin sheet of fried, scrambled eggs. The ingredients flavoring the rice vary. Often, the rice is fried with various meats (but typically chicken) or vegetables, and can be flavored with beef stock, ketchup, demi-glace, white sauce, or simply salt and pepper. Sometimes, rice is replaced with fried noodles (yakisoba) to make omusoba. A variant in Okinawa is omutako, consisting of an omelet over taco rice. Fried hot dog and Spam are also two popular meats to include in the dish.
Volga rice is another variation, topped with crumb-covered pork cutlet with the whole dish covered in a rich sauce.[7][8]
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Models of various omurice dishes -
On the inside -
Omurice with demi-glace sauce -
Video of the preparation of an omurice dish
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Video of cutting open an omurice
Similar dishes
A similar dish in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore is called nasi goreng pattaya. It is a fried rice dish, covering chicken fried rice in thin fried egg or omelet.
In popular culture
A new kind of omurice was developed for the 1985 comedy film Tampopo in collaboration with Taimeiken, a famous restaurant in Nihonbashi. This version has the rice covered with a half-cooked omelet, which is cut open to spread and cover the rice. This version has become so popular that it is the restaurant standard now. Home cooks typically cook a thin omelet completely and then place it over the seasoned rice and decorate it with ketchup.
Homestyle omurice is a frequent item on maid café menus since the addition of ketchup allows a maid to decorate the meal easily at the table as a form of service.
In the 2020s, clips of chefs preparing omurice often went viral on social media, leading to an increased international interest in the dish.[9][10][11][12]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Omuraisu (also known as omurice or omu rice, Japanese rice omelet)" Archived 2018-11-07 at the Wayback Machine, JustHungry.com.
- ^ Nishimoto, Miyoko (June 1992). "Beyond Sushi: Japanese Cooking in the Great Home-Style Tradition", Vegetarian Times, No. 178. ISSN 0164-8497.
- ^ Paxton, Norbert (2008). The Rough Guide to Korea, p.249. ISBN 978-1-4053-8420-9.
- ^ a b Shimbo, Hiroko (2000). The Japanese Kitchen, p.148. ISBN 1-55832-177-2.
- ^ Kishi Asako (March 15, 2002). "NIPPONIA No.20: Omuraisu" Archived 2018-09-10 at the Wayback Machine, Web-Japan.org.
- ^ "Omu-rice". Osaka Info. Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- ^ "Japanese traditional recipes with "Kamisho Satoimo" from Fukui". WOW U-media. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved Jul 19, 2019.
- ^ "Volga Rice - 【郷土料理ものがたり】". kyoudo-ryouri.com. Retrieved Jul 19, 2019.
- ^ "A Japanese comfort dish that's also a viral sensation". SBS Food. 2023-01-01. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Joey Morona, cleveland com (2025-06-25). "I tried the TikTok-famous omurice at Kyuramen in Strongsville. Should you?". cleveland. Archived from the original on 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ "Viral Kichi Kichi Omurice Chef Coming to Singapore". 8days. Archived from the original on 2025-06-21. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
- ^ Sula, Mike (2024-02-20). "The camera eats first when omurice comes to the table". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on 2025-06-20. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
External links
- JunsKitchen. "Fluffy Omurice (Japanese Omelet Rice)", YouTube.com
- Setsuko Yoshizuka. "Omu Rice Archived 2016-04-22 at the Wayback Machine", JapaneseFood.About.com
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