Omurice
Ketchup fried rice wrapped in a thin egg omelette. A Japanese comfort food that went viral on TikTok and costs under $1.60 per serving.
Cook the rice according to package directions. Day-old rice works even better if you have it.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and frozen vegetables. Cook 3–4 minutes until the onion softens.
Add the cooked rice. Press and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add ketchup and soy sauce. Toss everything together until the rice is evenly coated and slightly caramelized, about 2 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set the fried rice aside and keep warm.
For each serving: crack 2 eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk, and whisk. Season with a pinch of salt.
Heat a small knob of butter in a non-stick skillet or pan over medium heat.
Pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan and gently stir the centre with a spatula as the edges set. When the egg is just barely set but still soft on top (about 90 seconds), place a portion of fried rice on one half.
Fold the omelette over the rice or slide it onto a plate and shape it into an oval. Repeat for remaining servings.
Drizzle extra ketchup over the top. Serve immediately.
The ketchup fried rice sounds wrong and tastes right. It's what makes this Japanese rather than generic fried rice.
- The omelette step looks harder than it is. If the folding doesn't go perfectly, just lay the egg flat over the rice. It tastes the same.
- Day-old refrigerated rice fries better than freshly cooked — it's drier and the grains stay separate.
- To make this more filling, add 100 g of shredded bone-in chicken thigh (cooked and pulled from the bone) or canned tuna to the fried rice step.
Estimated values per serving.
This recipe can be made gluten-free with substitutions.
- Replace soy sauce with tamari in the same quantity (minimal cost difference)
- Replace ketchup with most ketchup is GF, but verify the brand (no cost difference)