One of the fun things about being a kid in Japan was the children’s menu at department store restaurants. While the famous “depachika” food halls are in the basement, the restaurants with their plastic food models are always on the top floor so you can peer out the glass windows as you eat if you don’t mind a little vertigo.
The children’s menu, as far as I can recall, is prepared with as much care as is typical of almost any eatery in Japan, which is to say, a lot. There was always a little Swedish flag sticking out of the Swedish meatballs and kare-raisu might be served in a bowl with Hello Kitty or Anpanman on it but my favourite was always omuraisu. I’ve since heard there’s om-yakisoba which I’m sure would be great too.
After having just preached the virtues of making an omelette with the 3 o’clock-6 o’clock-9 o’clock technique, I now take it all back. Because the omelette for omuraisu (om-rice, see?) needs to be flat and is then filled with rice flavoured with none other than ketchup. Yessiree, ketchup, and it’s good. And to think you thought I was running a high-class establishment here.
What kids’ food do you still eat?
Omuraisu, for one
This makes a lovely lunch, and you can feel all virtuous for eating your vegetables, even if there is a generous squirt of Kewpie -and I think it really does have to be Kewpie here – mayonnaise over the whole thing. You can really use any combination of vegetables, I’ve been known to use courgettes (zucchini), peas and chopped up green beans too. It’s also common to fry the vegetables with chopped bacon or pieces of shredded chicken but I didn’t have any. It’s best to prepare all the vegetables for the rice first so you can start cooking it as soon as you finish with the omelette or the omelette will get stone cold.
For the omelette
2 eggs
1/3 teaspoon salt and some pepper
Kewpie mayonnaise (for later)
Beat the eggs, salt and pepper together in a bowl and heat a large frypan over medium heat.
Wipe a thin layer of neutral flavoured oil over the base of the pan and pour in the eggs, shaking the pan so the egg is distributed evenly and leave until almost set.
Flip over the omelette briefly to set the other side and slide the omelette out onto a large plate.
For the rice
1/4 medium red onion, diced
1/4 red, yellow or orange capsicum (pepper) diced
1 spring onion, sliced thinly
1/2 small carrot, diced
1 bowl of leftover rice (I usually use Japanese rice but long grain will do in a pinch)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Wipe the pan you used for the omelette out and reheat over medium high heat. Fry the vegetables until softened slightly, about 2 or 3 minutes, then tip in the rice, breaking it up as you go. When it has heated through, mix in the ketchup.
To assemble
Put the rice over half of the omelette and fold over to cover. Put the mayonnaise on and sprinkle with some more spring onions, if desired.
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mmm I can sure go for some right now!!
oh man this looks sooo yummy Sasa! i cant remember what i used to order as a child in Japanese restaurants but i think it was definitely something deepfried (if I begged my parents enough) and it always came served on an airplane plate with little sections for the main bit and the side dishes, etc. love! x
I LOVE OMURAISU!!!
Yours looks delicious my dear.
I have to admit that I have not tried to make this, I usually leave Hiro to this one. This makes an amazing omuraisu with chicken.
Teehee, all the Asian girls go crazy for omraisu!
Classy! I always have omuraisu with ketchup and chilli sauce on top. And my rice is fried with toubanjan… But I love kewpie mayonnaise so may have to try that. I think I always used to eat Japanese hamburger or yakisoba. And definitely corn soup.
Corn potage! *love* Gonna try with my new jar of toubanjan ^_^
Your kid food looks pretty acceptable. I might make it for my kid. I still eat Draculinia (a puffed wheat savoury junk food – kind of like American cheetos but Greekified) dipped in Total Greek yogurt. I only do it when I am visiting my mother in Athens. Then I lie down on the sofa and watch bad TV. It takes me back….
Jesus! Draculinia?! You must be my age then! Kids these days don’t know anything about that awesome snack… Did you also use to put 2 whole Draculinia in your mouth and pretend to be Dracula?! (Sasa..Draculinia are chips made of who knows what and it has the shape of dracula teeth thus DRACUlinia… :P)
God..I used to be sooo confused when I was ordering food in Japan… I didn’t know what to choose.. Now I have my own money and simply order 2-3 dishes..and eat them all bien sure.. However, i always picked the okosama-lunchi (okosama lunch) that had a bit of everything and of course the flags etc!! In Greece the dish I mostly remember having was french fries IN an omelet.. My Greek grandmother used to make this.. and tried that way to turn me into a little her… as big as it gets that is.. she was a great cook though and she did teach my mother (the Japanese) how to cook wonderful Greek dishes.. (only my mother used to add half portions of butter, oil etc :P )
This is so fun to eat and make!!!
Oh, this looks easy and tasty – winning combo. I’m sure i ate something similar Kyoto, but made with beef and an egg in it. There was a restaurant with, um, idiosyncratic decor. On every table was this great mock-leather bound menu, thick and huge. And when you opened it, there was a single spread with an ENORMOUS picture of a beefy omelet inside. That was all they served. And it was tasty, even if a little difficult to eat with chopsticks.
AS for kiddies food, i still love boiled egg and soldiers – half with marmite, half with honey (for when you have finished the egg). Sigh. Heaven.
Soldiers and toast *love*
Apart from my one week in Japan where I fell in love with the food but have no idea what any dish was called as I was staying with an old mate who was working at a Japanese University, he spoke the language fluently & assured me I’d love whatever he ordered…, I did…, so…., all I gotta say is “I bet I love this” :)
I could spend hours the Japanese food halls, they are the most beautiful food halls I have ever experienced
Oooh, this looks like awesome kid food! Nothing better than ketchup! I love kid food… toasted cheese sanwiches are probably my favorite kid food. Yum!
I eat steamed rice with ketchup. hellz yeah.
I love this Sasa! But I know my bf would love it even more :-)
Catty, tomato sauce for Aussies is like lingonberry for Finns. I eat rice with lingonberry! LOL
juicebox.
This looks so cool! I’d never heard of omuraisu before, but I really want to give this a try. Yum!!
ahh! just looking through your blog (so much goodness) and this has brought back floods of nostalgia… funny thing is, I never really liked omuraisu growing up because I didn’t like eggs or ketchup (I was a weird kid) but now I get cravings for my mum’s omuraisu. All the time.
Also this dish always brings a smile to my face because of the omuraisu scene from Tampopo. Love.
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