Omurice. A delicious and popular Japanese fried rice covered in a luscious blanket of soft scrambled eggs with a savory tangy demi-glace sauce. This quick and easy omurice recipe is ready in 30 minutes. A great main dish that beats takeout!
Jump to:
What is Omurice?
Omurice is a blend of two words "omelette" and "rice". It's a western-influenced Japanese dish that contains fried rice with an egg omelette on top with a sweet brown sauce.
This dish has become incredibly so popular in Japanese cuisine as it went viral on social media! The chef at Kichi Kichi in Kyoto, Japan is renowned for making this iconic dish with his special techniques and charismatic cooking performance!
There are many variations of omurice, from different accompanying sauces to a variety of proteins. The one I'm teaching today is with spam using a demi-glace sauce.
This comfort food serves well as a complete meal for dinner or lunch and it's one of my favourite Japanese dishes to eat!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details.
Fried rice
- Cooked rice: Sushi rice or long-grain white rice will work. It's best to use leftover rice or day-old rice for this dish.
- Spam: or ham, bacon, pork belly, pork, chicken, shrimp or diced extra-firm tofu.
- Onion
- Frozen mixed veggies: a mixture of green peas, diced carrots, corn, and/or green beans
- Tomato Ketchup: to add a tangy flavor to the fried rice.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Sesame oil: for that nutty flavor!
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
Omurice sauce
- Neutral oil
- Tomato Ketchup
- Regular Soy sauce
- Tonkatsu sauce: A popular Japanese sauce that is tangy, sweet, dark and thick and it's sold at many Asian grocery stores in the sauce aisle or online.
- Sugar
- Water
- Milk: to make the sauce creamy.
- Cornstarch: to thicken the sauce
Omurice Omelette
- Neutral oil
- Large eggs
- Salt
Best rice to use?
Use day old or leftover rice that has been sitting in the fridge. This is important if you want fluffy rice because the cold air removes excess moisture that is the leading factor to clumpy fried rice.
Can I use same day cooked rice?
You may use same day warm cooked rice but it will create clumpy fried rice due to the excess moisture.
To fix this: Spread out the hot rice in a thin layer on a large baking sheet. Place it in the freezer for 45-60 minutes fully exposed. Then break up the rice with a rice paddle or clean hands moistened with neutral oil to prevent it from sticking.
Expert Tips
- Use cold day-old rice for fluffy fried rice. If you use hot rice, it'll clump together.
- Break up the rice in the pan or beforehand with a rice paddle.
- Prepare the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast.
- Use a small non-stick pan to make the omelette so it can easily slide off.
- Use low-medium heat to make the omelette and enough oil!
- Rotate the pan and not the omelette when make the tornado egg.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make omurice:
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and fry onions and diced spam until spam is slightly browned on the edges.
Fry mixed veggies until softened, about 1-2 minutes.
Toss in cold day-old rice and break it up. Season rice with soy sauce, ketchup and sesame oil. Toss until every rice granule is colored brown.
Divide fried rice into two serving bowls and firmly pack it into the bowls.
Plate two larger shallow bowls on top of each rice bowl. Let it set for 1 minute. Then flip it over and remove the first bowl.
In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs (per serving).
In a small frying pan (about 8 inches wide) set over low-medium heat, add oil. Pour your egg mixture into the pan and let it bubble to create a solid base. Quickly insert wooden chopsticks positioned at a 45-degree angle from each other along the edges of the pan. Then slowly bring chopsticks toward the center.
Hold the wooden chopstick in the center, only rotating the pan so your egg becomes a tornado shape.
Once egg tornado is cooked, with the help of the chopsticks slide it on top of the rice. Repeat this process again with the remaining egg for the second omelette.
In a small saucepan, add your sauce ingredients and whisk them together. Then bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, while stirring.
Pour Sauce
Once sauce has thickened, remove off heat and pour half of it around or on top the omelette fried rice. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I would recommend storing the fried rice separate from the sauce. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing this type of fried rice as the eggs will go rubbery.
Pairing Suggestions
Omurice serves well with other Japanese dishes:
FAQ
This can be made in advance and the different components stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes! Feel free to beat the eggs and pour them into a small pan and immediately and lightly scramble the eggs with chopsticks for 5 seconds. Then let the base fry into a pancake and transfer the omelette over your rice.
No, you can simply substitute the demi-glace sauce with ketchup drizzled over the omelette.
📖 Recipe
Quick Omurice
Ingredients
Fried rice
- 4 cups white rice cooked (sushi or jasmine rice works best to hold the dome shape)
- 1 ¼ cup spam diced
- ½ onion diced
- 2 cup frozen mixed veggies rinsed in water and strained well
- 3 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Omelette
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Demi-glace sauce
- 5 tbsp. ketchup
- 1 tbsp. regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. Tonkatsu sauce store bought
- 1 tablespoon sugar or white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ cups water
- ¼ cups milk
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat and fry onions and diced spam until spam is slightly browned on the edges.
- Fry mixed veggies until softened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Toss in cold day-old rice and break it up. Season rice with soy sauce, ketchup and sesame oil. Toss until every rice granule is colored brown.
- Divide fried rice into two serving bowls and firmly pack it into the bowls.
- Plate two larger shallow bowls on top of each rice bowl. Let it set for 1 minute. Then flip it over and remove the first bowl.
- In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs (per serving).
- In a small frying pan (about 8 inches wide) set over low-medium heat, add oil. Pour your egg mixture into the pan and let it bubble to create a solid base. Quickly insert wooden chopsticks positioned at a 45-degree angle from each other along the edges of the pan. Then slowly bring chopsticks toward the center.
- Hold the wooden chopstick in the center, only rotating the pan so your egg becomes a tornado shape.
- Once egg tornado is cooked, with the help of the chopsticks slide it on top of the rice. Repeat this process again with the remaining egg for the second omelette.
- In a small saucepan, add your sauce ingredients and whisk them together. Then bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, while stirring.
- Once sauce has thickened, remove off heat and pour half of it around or on top the omelette fried rice. Enjoy!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I've got to try your challenging technique, Christie! I always like a bit of a challenge! This looks super yummy. I've never cooked with spam but I"d probably sub in some ham!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
The domed shape of your omelette is so fun... and your yummy Omurice sauce is totally fabulous!
Never Ending Journeys
Mmmm, I'd love to give this Spam Omurice a try! Sounds like such a great variation of an omelette!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
My kids love omurice and spam, so I think they would love this dish! Yum!
Ivy
I made this for my son who loves Omurice and he really enjoyed it!