Omurice
Ketchup fried rice wrapped in a soft omelette — Japan's beloved diner hug on a plate.
Ingredients
- 250 g Rice
- 4 Egg
- 4 tbsp Ketchup
- ½ Onion
- 25 g Butter
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 150 g Chicken (optional)
- 60 g Frozen peas (optional)
Method
- Cook the rice in a saucepan or rice cooker, or use day-old rice which fries better.
- Dice the onion finely.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces.
- Melt half the butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and add the diced onion and chicken with the salt.
- Saute the onion and chicken until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice, peas, and ketchup and fry, tossing, until every grain is coated coral-pink, about 4 minutes.
- Mound the fried rice onto two plates.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl until smooth.
- Cook a soft, barely-set omelette in the remaining butter over medium heat, one per plate.
- Drape an omelette over each mound of rice and zigzag with more ketchup.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Omurice
Omurice is a beloved fixture of Japanese yoshoku — Western-influenced home and diner cooking — that pairs ketchup-seasoned fried rice with a soft omelette draped over the top. The rice is fried with onion, chicken, and peas, then tossed with ketchup until every grain turns a glossy coral-pink; day-old rice is preferred here because its drier grains fry up separate rather than clumping. The name is a portmanteau of "omelette" and "rice," and the dish has real nostalgic weight in Japan, the kind of comforting plate people associate with childhood and casual family restaurants.
The pleasure is in the contrast: savory-sweet, tomatoey rice under a barely-set, buttery omelette that gets slit or folded so it drips softly over the mound. It's usually finished with an extra squiggle of ketchup on top, and the whole thing reads as gentle, familiar comfort food rather than anything fussy. High in protein and quick to make, it's a satisfying lunch or dinner for two. Cooking the omelette until just set — soft and a little runny in the center — is what gives omurice its signature tender drape rather than a firm, flat lid.
Omurice: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Omurice?
A serving has about 740 calories — 22.3g protein, 112.5g carbs, 20.7g fat, 2.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Omurice gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Omurice has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Omurice dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Omurice take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 22 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Omurice?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out chicken, frozen peas — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Omurice make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.