Omurice: The rooftop prince favorite dish

Models of various omurice dishes. (Wikipedia)

Omurice is one of those dishes that everyone should have in his or her repertoire, ready to pull out at a moment’s notice.  It’s cheap, delicious, easy, and nutritious. Those who watched one of the most famous Korean dramas “Rooftop Prince” know the main characters are obsessed with this particular meal.

Omurice is a western-influenced style of Japanese cuisine, consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and usually topped with ketchup. With (Om) and (rice) being contractions of the words omelette and rice, the name is an example of wasei-eigo.

Omurice with demi-glace sauce. (Wikipedia)

It is a popular dish both commonly cooked at home and often found at western style diners in Japan. The dish was brought to Korea during Japanese rule, and today it is a fixture in kimbap restaurant menus throughout South Korea. Omurice is also popular in Taiwan, another territory formerly occupied by Japan. Children, in particular, enjoy omurice, and it is often featured in as a kids’ meals. People have been getting creative in preparing Omurice giving it different shapes and decorations and stuffing.

On the inside. (Wikipedia)

Omurice is said to have originated around the turn of the 20th century at a western style restaurant in Tokyo’s Ginza district called Renga-tei.

It’s a relatively simple dish, it typically calls for rice fried with ketchup, chicken and onions wrapped in a thin sheet of fried egg. Different variations of this dish can include peas, carrots, mushrooms, green peppers, onions and kimchi. Pork, beef or shrimp can be substituted for chicken as well.