Japanese Omurice
Omurice is a popular modern Japanese dish that's a mashup of Western omelettes and Japanese fried rice, delighting Japanese palates of young and old alike. It's a favorite amongst kids and, therefore, a staple of home cooking here, but it can also be served a little fancier at Yōshoku restaurants (Western-style restaurants) in Japan.
Although every household makes it a little differently, the omelette is usually stuffed with chicken rice, which is fried Japanese short-grain rice that's made with chicken and seasoned with ketchup. This gives it a vibrant red color and savory-sweet taste, which is the trademark flavor of this dish.
As for the egg, classic styles of omurice were made into an oval shape or football shape and wrapped in a thin layer of egg; then, the smooth omelette surface was decorated with ketchup hearts or stars. But these days, many people ditch the thin, papery egg for a luscious blanket of soft scrambled eggs on top.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Leftover steamed rice gives this omurice the wonderful chewy texture of cooked Japanese short-grain rice while making it crumbly enough to stir-fry thanks to the retrogradation of the starch.
- The sweet and savory chicken fried rice makes a delightful contrast to the rich creaminess of the blanket of eggs on top.
- Instead of the traditional thin omelette, this recipe creates a thick, fluffy Kichi Kichi style omurice. The only difference is that you don't need to become an omelette pan ninja to slide the tender curds of egg on top of the rice.
Japanese Omurice Components
Omurice is comprised of two main components, and can also be sauced. Here's what's inside each of them.
Chicken Rice
Although it's called "chicken rice," the primary seasoning is ketchup. This makes it the perfect sweet and tangy contrast to the creamy egg on top. For mine, I like using homemade ketchup because the spices make for a more interesting flavor profile, and it's a little less sweet than the store-bought stuff. That being said, if you're looking for that classic ketchup rice taste, the bottled stuff is the way to go. Many Japanese Omurice recipes add extra sugar on top of the sweetness of the ketchup, but I prefer mine more savory. On the flip side, if ketchup isn't your cup of tea, don't worry; you can make this omurice recipe using any kind of fried rice like Yakimeshi, Kimchi Fried Rice, Curry Fried Rice, or Japanese Garlic Rice.
I almost always advocate using skin on chicken thighs over breast meat; this is one of the rare exceptions where I feel like breast meat works better. Just be careful not to overcook the chicken pieces, or they will get tough. You could also replace the chicken with another protein like tofu or ground beef.
Other than that, I like to brown some onions (or garlic) to get a little more flavor into the dish. I also add some oyster sauce as a more flavorful alternative to soy sauce; this helps balance out the tanginess of the ketchup with plenty of umami. Some people also like to add other vegetables to their chicken rice like carrots, peas, or bell peppers, which is fine, but I think they're unnecessary unless you're trying to get your kids to eat more vegetables.
Omelette
The omelette is more about the cooking technique than the ingredients, but I like to use eggs with very vivid yolks, so it turns out golden yellow. Butter imparts extra flavor, and I also add a bit of cream, which ups the richness to balance out the acidity of the rice. A pinch of salt lifts the flavors, but if you're really looking for something over-the-top, try adding some grated cheese to the eggs.
Sauce
Although Japanese omelette rice is usually just decorated on the surface with ketchup, it's sometimes also served with a more flavorful sauces such as the sauce from Hayashi Rice (Omuhayashi - オムハヤシ) or Japanese Curry (Omukarei - オムカレー), or Meat Sauce (Omumeato - オムミート). For the last one, you could even change up the filling and make it with spaghetti with meat sauce, which turns it into Omusupa (オムスパ). As you can see, there are a lot of creative variations here.
How to Make Omurice
Make the fried rice
Making chicken rice is pretty straightforward and only requires a few minutes of prep time. I start by marinating the chicken pieces in a bit of regular soy sauce to ensure they're well-seasoned. Then I brown some onions before throwing the chicken in and stir-frying it. The trick to having tender chicken in your omelette rice is to add the Japanese short-grain rice before the chicken is fully cooked through. I usually go in with it as soon as I can't see any raw edges on the chicken, just a few minutes after I start cooking it. This gives you plenty of time to get the cooked rice nice and caramelized without turning the chicken chewy. Once it's heated through, I add the ketchup and oyster sauce and stir-fry until the tangy sauces start caramelizing. This should take 2 to 3 minutes. Season with black pepper, and then you can load the savory chicken rice into a mold and invert it onto a plate. I usually leave the mold on the plate to help keep the rice warm for the time it takes to make the omelette.
Make the omelette
The omelette may seem intimidating, but this technique makes it possible for anyone to make Kichi Kichi omurice.
Add the eggs, cream, and a pinch of salt to a bowl and beat the mixture until uniform in texture and color. I like using wooden chopsticks, but a whisk or fork will also work.
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat (this is a must, to get the egg cleanly out of the pan). Once the butter has melted, add the egg mixture and give it a few seconds to set up at the bottom. Then, gently scramble them with chopsticks while shaking the pan, which redistributes the uncooked egg as you break up the curds. This gives the mixture an even, fluffy texture. I usually take the omelette off the heat once there are no big pools of raw egg left, as carryover cooking will continue thickening the remaining egg into a rich, creamy sauce. Before you take the pan off the stove, blast it on high heat for a few seconds. This will vaporize any liquid between the egg and the pan, loosening the edges and making the egg easily slide out of the pan.
Decorate the Omurice
Although soft scrambled eggs aren't quite a smooth omelette surface to paint on, you can still create fun shapes, like stripes, hearts, stars, or faces using additional ketchup in a squeeze bottle. Or you can just add a drizzle of ketchup on top, like I did. Omurice can also be served with a demi-glace sauce on top.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Units
Ingredients
For Chicken Rice
- 150 grams boneless skinless chicken breast ~½ breast, cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 100 grams onion ~½ small onion, finely minced
- 300 grams cooked Japanese short-grain rice 2 loosely packed cups cold
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- black pepper to taste
For Omelette
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon cream
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
Instructions
For Chicken Rice
- Marinate the 150 grams boneless skinless chicken breast in the 1 teaspoon soy sauce while you prepare all the other ingredients.
- Add the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 100 grams onion to a frying pan over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until they're tender and just starting to brown.
- Add the chicken and stir-fry until you don't see any raw sides anymore.
- Add the 300 grams cooked Japanese short-grain rice, and break it up with a spatula so that it heats through evenly.
- Once the rice has been warmed through, add the 2 tablespoons ketchup and 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, and stir-fry until it is an even color and the ketchup is just starting to caramelize. Season with black pepper to taste.
- Plate the rice. You can use a bowl as a mold to give it a round or oval shape.
For Omelette
- Break the 3 eggs into a bowl along with the 1 tablespoon cream and 1 pinch salt. Whisk together until the mixture is uniform in color.
- Heat a small 8-inch non-stick frying pan over medium heat until moderately hot. Add the 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter and swirl to melt and coat the pan evenly.
- Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook until the bottom layer of eggs are set (the bottom will start turning opaque).
- Gently stir the eggs, while shaking the pan to resettle the uncooked egg.
- Turn up the heat to high for a few seconds to make the egg easier to slide out of the pan (the egg should slide around the pan easily when shaken). Give the cooking eggs a minute to firm up.
- Position the pan over the plated rice and gently slide the egg out of the pan on top of it, gently guiding it with a pair of chopsticks.
- Garnish with ketchup and parsley to taste.
Nutrition Facts
FAQ
What is Omurice?
Omurice (オムライス), or Omuraisu as it's pronounced in Japan, is a portmanteau of "Omelette" and "Rice." It's unclear where the dish originated, but Omurice is considered yōshoku (Western food) in Japan. It was probably created around the turn of the last century when Western-style restaurants became popular.
What is Yōshoku?
Yōshoku (洋食) means "Western-style food" in Japanese, and it refers to a sub-genre of Japanese cuisine modeled on food from the West. Although these dishes are considered Western in Japan, many do not exist outside of Japan. Some examples include curry rice, hamburg steak, and Hayashi rice. In a way, Yōshoku is like the Japanese analog to American-style sushi such as spicy tuna rolls and California rolls.
How do you pronounce Omurice?
Omurice is a 5-syllable word that's pronounced as follows:
o like order
mu like move
ra -the "ra" sound does not exist in the English language and the best way to make it is to say the word "romp" with the tip of your tongue at the front of your mouth.
i like even
su like soup
Bobbina Byrd says
I've made this recipe many times now, and it's always so delicious. It's very filling. I like the combination of the sauces and the flexibility of the vegetables. I make three omelets worth as one big omu-log for my whole family. It's always gone by the time the meal is over. 10/10, A+, gold star
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Bobbina, I'm happy to hear you and your family have been enjoying this so much! Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
Cam says
So good! Thank you so much. Oyster sauce is a nice addition that I haven’t seen in other recipes. I also love your simple explanation for the soft scrambled eggs and I really like the texture with this rice rather than the other traditional omelette.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Cam, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Lee MacMorris says
This takes me back 55 years to the first year of six years I spent in Japan. Wonderful. Yum,
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Lee, I'm glad to hear it was able to bring back some memories. Thanks for sharing!
Christie says
I added a teaspoon of sesame oil to the soy sauce chicken marinade for an extra umphhh! Great recipe. Thank you!
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome Christie, great idea adding sesame oil to the chicken! I may borrow that idea next time I make this.
Carley Heck says
Thanks for this! I have been trying to make it for a long time in the way where you wrap the uncooked egg inside and then cut it open afterwards; I couldn’t ever get it right. This is way easier and achieves the same effect! So delicious and easy!
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome Carley! Yea, that method takes a lot of practice and while it looks cool, this gets the same effect when you eat it.
rin says
Looks great I am going to make by brother cook it for himself tomorrow
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Rin, I hope he enjoys it!
Chicken says
Chicken nuggets?
Annie says
Hi how many calories are there in this recipe?
Marc Matsumoto says
Please click the "Nutrition" button in the recipe card for nutrition information. There's 554 calories per serving.
Annie Vos says
Thanks 🙂
Keytti says
This came out so good, and it was so easy to understand, thank you!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Keytti, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this! You're welcome😀
Anne-Maree says
Am i going crazy or this is a different recipe than used to be here on this site??? If so why change??? the last one was fantastic???
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Anne-Maree, you're not going crazy. I updated this a few weeks ago. I'm always about finding ways to improve dishes and if you enjoyed the last version I think you'll like this even more. I've simplified some of the steps and added a bit more flavor to the rice.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi チェン小百合, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
チェン小百合 says
Hi! Just made some for my brother and I... We didn't have ketchup so I used homemade teriyaki sauce to cook the rice and topped the egg with pepper. Also no onions or carrots at the moment; used tiny shrimp and corn instead. Turned out WONDERFUL! Thank you so much for this recipe. I was satisfied, happy, and inspired when I finished eating. The egg was delightful, the rice extremely pleasant, everything worked out just fine and looked gorgeous. Thank you.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Tatyana, you could replace it with milk, but the eggs will be lighter and less creamy.
Tatyana Sandoval says
Can the heavy cream be replaced with milk or lactose free milks?
bellystraw says
Thanks for your advice!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Bellystraw, in a classic omurice the rice is supposed to be sweet since it is made using ordinary ketchup. Although it's not traditional I like my omurice more spicy which is why I use homemade ketchup (recipe here: https://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/homemade-savory-ketchup/ ). You could also substitute tomato paste for the ketchup which would make it less sweet while retaining the tomato flavor.
bellystraw says
Looks simple and fun. Just one question.
I've heard alot of people say that normal ketchup really doesn't do the trick and sometimes the sweetness of fx. Heinz ketchup ends up ruining the flavor.
Is there any way to maybe spice up your ketchup beforehand to balance the incredible sweetness alot of store bought ketchups have?
If so which spices would you recommend?
junjie says
try mixing ketchup with worcestershire sauce.. that will solve your problem on the sweetness of the ketchup and give your sauce an added kick..
Otakunekosama says
I use sugar-free ketchup and it works well for me!
Maybe try using that? Also heinz over all never works well for me so I recommed primal kitchen (it's what I use and loved it)
CieloAlarica says
This looks so good! Going to try this now~ ^ ^
Fonz Tan says
It's the mixed rice, I have shaped it into a ball... It's like a sneak peak of what's inside the mountain of egg. I have also topped it with the catsup that was used for my mixed rice.
Marc Matsumoto says
Looks great, what's the ball on top?
Fonz Tan says
Thanks for the recipe Marc! It really taste good 🙂 I modified the recipe a bit and here's my version 🙂
rona says
Can I add some cabbage?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Yuki, I don't think I've ever heard of using mayo in chicken rice and I don't really like mayonnaise personally, but if you like mayo then give it a try.
Yuki Yamanaka says
Hello! Can we use mayonnaise instead of ketchup?
Holly says
No, that would not work? It would be an entirely different dish and would have a strange texture.
f says
It looks like "nasi goreng" in my country (Indonesia) 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Lou, it could be konbu, but usually konbu is more salty than sweet and comes in either squares or strips. If it was more like a paste, it's most likely nori. This is made by taking fresh nori (not the paper thin dried kind) and cooking it with soy sauce, sugar and mirin until it forms a thick paste. If you can't get fresh nori where you live you could in theory use the dried sheeted type (though I've never tried this myself), but it takes a ton of nori to make just a little paste, so I think this approach would be prohibitively expensive.
lewisfausak says
This is so good! I wish we had omurice shops where I live.
Thanks for the recipe, I love the blog.
Do you know how to make the sweet seaweed filling found in some onigiri, I think I have seen mention of it as a kombu filling, but I have no idea how to get thick kombu into a sweet and edible texture.
Senic says
I think youre talking about furikake 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Senic, I think I responded to this at some point, but threaded conversations got collapsed during one of our website moves, so it's no longer attached to this comment. Lewis was referring to Tsukudani, which is konbu that's been simmered in soy sauce, sugar and mirin (sometimes with other things like Sansho, perilla seeds, or sesame seeds added).
Midori says
I'm so going to try making this. It looks delicious. Thanks! ^^
Marc Matsumoto says
That's impressive. I think the answer is LOTS of practice. I certainly wouldn't be able to do that. He's partially scrambling the eggs, but then folding it in half (like an omelette) and then sealing it shut while the inside is still very runny. The trick is in the way he is tossing the pan. The dropping action creates a 0-g environment in the pan, which for a brief moment allows the egg to float, allowing him to rotate it without breaking it. The motion is actually pretty similar to what's used to make dashimaki tamago (which is said to be one of the hardest things in Japanese cuisine to master).
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm not sure I've seen this before, but if you make the eggs like described above and instead of sliding it out of the pan (with the moist side up), you flip it onto the rice, you would end up with the firm part on the outside and the moist part on the inside.
Karon Reiter says
On some of the YouTube videos they cook the egg in such a way that when they place it on top of the rice, they cut it down the middle in which a mountain of moist eggs emerge, draping the side of the rice. I've only seen these in restaurants, not at home. Can this be done at home and if so, how are the eggs cooked that the outside is firm, but the inside is moist? It looks so yummy.
Jo says
That's great! I know that sometimes things are cooked a certain way for a reason and just wanted to be sure ^_^
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Jo, you can obviously cook it however you like, this is just how I do it.
Jo says
Can you cook the egg until it isn't "wet"? I can't handle runny eggs at all but have always wanted to try this!
Holly says
It wouldn’t really be the same taste/texture but you can cook the egg however you like
Aki says
It should be Demi-glacé sauce
Lew says
Lots of times they put Demi glacé sauce on too! Oishi!
Si Hèm says
I love omurice , thanks for the recipe ^^
Marc Matsumoto says
I don't drink coffee so I don't know what's in coffee creamer, but if it contains cream and doesn't have sugar or flavorings, it should be fine.
Brandon Smith says
can i use a normal non flavored coffee creamer
Matt says
Wow quite a sophisticated recipe here, looks nice!! I learned how to make it from a bunch of Japanese friends I had who roomed together. They just fried up a bunch of onion and any kind of meat -- we even used spam LOL. Then cooked the rice and added that, threw in a bunch of ketchup, and then moulded it all together. We also added tons of cheese on top!!!!! Then fried up the egg and blanketed the cheese/omurice mould with it, and garnished with ketchup. I was hooked on this ever since haha.
I'll have to give all these extra ingredients a shot. Will definitely add more to the palate! 🙂
LOL says
LOL LOLY
LOL says
YES
LOL says
HAHAHAHAHA
LOL says
I LOVE YOU OMURICE PECIPE
NAL says
I really liked your recipe.. it was really delicious..evn though I am a Maldivian I really loved it.. 😀 this one has really forced me to visit this website often.. thnks for the lovely recipe
Jacqueline Bier says
Hey
I tried your recipe yesterday. I made it twice, because my husband and myself like to eat. It was delicious! Never ate such a fluffy egg. As ketchup I used one flavored with curry and other spices. It was great. Thank you for this recipe.
Jacqueline Bier says
Hey
I tried your recipe yesterday. I made it twice, because my husband and myself like to eat. It was delicious! Never ate such a fluffy egg. As ketchup I used one flavored with curry and other spices. It was great. Thank you for this recipe.
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean to use fried chicken? If so, that should be fine, but you way want to remove the breading on the outside of the chicken.
Chin-sama says
Is it okay to fry the chicken?
Yaoli Pu says
Delicious! I didn't have time sadly to make your ketchup so I mixed ketchup with a little bit of Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and sugar. This was such a good recipe! I liked the texture of the egg!
Marilia says
When I saw this it reminded me of that scene from "Tampopo". I just love movies revolving around food like this. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-GFimGcYJw
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness says
All your food pictures look very beautiful and delicious! My husband loves omurice! I think he will be thrilled to know that I have found this recipe. Need to try it next week. Thanks!
samnmini says
Omurice is one of favorite childhood dishes (but no chicken or carrots added)! My mom would make the traditional omelet. As an adult, I use the lazy method. I just add in a couple cooked scrambled eggs after frying the rice with ketchup. Will have to give yours a try. When I have mentioned "ketchup" rice to my friends, I get the Ewwww reaction and I always tell them they don't know what they are missing. It's comfort food to me.
Marilia says
very easy for my sisters, i am now a fan.
Tonnsg says
Wow such a simple recipe! I'm a big fan of your website and have been itching to try one of your recipes. The only thing that puts me off is that most of them calls for exotic ingredients I may never use again.. Not this though! Definitely trying it soon.
Jules says
I love love love omurice. This was my mum's go to dish for dinner when she couldn't be bothered cooking. Such comfort food.
Marc Matsumoto says
The cream is in the egg is to add richness. Alternatives would be coconut cream, or pureed silken tofu if you can find either one. It will still be good without the cream, it just won't be as rich and creamy.
chibiluna says
hello 🙂 i was so excited to see that you added this recipe but i have a tiny problem. i'm currently on a dairy free diet for some months and i wondered if there was a good alternative to the heavy cream. i live in a small town where it is not easy to find...well, anything. any suggestions to produce the same fluffy omelette?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Shannen, you probably had Omuhayashi. It's omurice with hayashi sauce poured on top. Here's the recipe: https://norecipes.com/blog/hayashi-rice-recipe/
scott says
probably bulldog fruit and veg sauce or okonomiyaki sauce
konradmeier says
worked in tokyo for a while as a chef and this was one of our chef's meals for lunch in the afternoon.Yours makes me hungry can not wait to prepare it. thank you
Shannen says
Tried Omurice in Japan and love it. Been looking for the recipe and finally found it here. However 1 Question. The omurice i tried had brown sauce served over it. What is that sauce and how is it prepared?
Thanks.
Yutachi says
A bit late but probably demiglace sauce
summer says
😂 7 years
missmochi says
This is the way I like my omurice, with a thicker softer omelette rather than the thin overcooked shell version!