Today, I would like to introduce an “elegant” Japanese rice dish called Dressed Omurice (ドレスドオムライス) that have been a hot topic in Japan as well as overseas for a long time and also known as Tornado Omelette or Tornado Omelet Rice. It may seem difficult, but surprisingly easy to make if you follow my recipe, tips, and tricks.
Japanese Dressed Omurice
(Tornado Omelet Rice)
Surprisingly easy to Make!!
Today, I would like to introduce an “elegant” Japanese rice dish called Dressed Omurice (ドレスドオムライス) that have been a hot topic in Japan as well as overseas for a long time and also known as Tornado Omelette or Tornado Omelet Rice.
It may seem difficult, but I’m happy to tell you that it is not as difficult as it looks. You can easily make it at home….. if you follow my recipe, tips and tricks properly! Of course, it may be challenging initially, and requires some practice but it is worth trying.
You’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step instructions and helpful tips here. The great thing about Omurice is that you can customize the recipe to suit your palate. I hope you’ll try and enjoy it as much as I do!!
Are you looking for more Japanese recipes?
Take a quick look at the recipe collection HERE
What is So special about
Dressed (aka Tornado) Omurice?
Omurice, Omu Rice, or Omuraisu* is a popular Western-inspired Japanese rice dish found in restaurants all over Japan. It is also called “Japanese Omelet Rice” or “Omelette Rice”.
Nowadays many modern versions of Omurice have become popular in Japan. “Dressed Omurice” (ドレスド・オムライス) or “Dress de omelet rice” (ドレス・ド・オムライス) is one of them. It’s a innovated version of Omurice that looks like “wearing a dress” that relies on a unique method of making the omelet using chopsticks to make the shape of a dress.
It’s aesthetically pleasing and very satisfying so many restaurants in Japan have begun presenting their Omurice this way. Its popularity has also spread to overseas as well and it is also known as Tornado Omelet (Omelette) or Twister Omelet (Omelette) because of the twisted egg in the center.
What is Omurice?
Omurice, Omu Rice, or Omuraisu* is a popular Western-inspired Japanese dish found in restaurants all over Japan. It is also called “Omelet Rice” or “Omelette Rice”.
The name, Omurice (aka Omu Rice), is an example of Wasei-Eigo* that is made by blending two English words “omelet” and “rice” resulting in the name ‘Omelet Rice’ or in the short form ‘Omu Rice’
*In Japanese, Omu Rice is pronounced as Omu Raisu (オムライス).
Omu = Omelet or Omelette
Raisu = Rice
The classic version of Omurice typically consists of chicken fried rice (Chikin Raisu in Japanese) flavored with sweet and tangy ketchup wrapped around a thinly fried omelet and decorated with ketchup.
As the flavor relies heavily on sweet and tangy ketchup, Omurice is especially a hit with children, so it is often considered in Japan’s version of a children’s meal, okosama-ranchi (お子様ランチ).
*The term Wasei-Eigo (和製英語) or ‘Japanese-made English’ or ‘Japanese English’, refers to Japanese words which were created in Japan by borrowing words from overseas, especially from the English language. The meaning of Wasei-Eigo words has changed from the original English meaning.
Yōshoku (洋食)
Yōshoku (洋食) means “Western-style food” in Japanese and some examples include Omurice, curry rice, and Hayashi rice. These foods contain some Western ingredients and flavors and are prepared in a style that appeals to the Japanese palate. Although these dishes are considered “Western-style food” in Japan, many do not exist outside of Japan.
How to Make the Dressed Omurice
Dressed Omurice consists of three parts; fried rice, omelet and the sauce. I recommend that you make the omelet after making the fried rice and sauce.
Fried Rice
The rice is fried with various meats (but typically chicken) or vegetables. You can use leftover rice to make the fried rice. Using Japanese white rice is preferable or use other type of short or medium grain rice avaialable.
Japanese Omurice is typically made with chicken, but you can also make it with other types of meat like beef, pork, bacon, or ham or with seafood or with a vegetarian option if you prefer..
The most common veggies include carrots, peas, mushrooms, scallions, and onions. Feel free to add other vegetables for a more nutrient-rich meal
The rice is typically seasoned with ketchup, salt, and white pepper but some people also use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken soup powder as well.
Ketchup is one of the key ingredients of this dish because it adds a sweet and tangy character to the dish. If you don’t favor ketchup in fried rice, just omit it. Likewise, you can adjust the amount of ketchup to your liking.
Omelet
The omelet is the trickiest part of this dish. But you can easily make it if you follow my recipe, tips, and tricks properly! I used 2 eggs per serving for this recipe, but you can use 3 if you want a thick omelet covering your rice. You can also add a little bit of heavy cream or milk for a creamy omelet, but I didn’t use it in this recipe.
Sauce
Ketchup is the most commonly used sauce, however, you can also use other kinds of sauce that you like. Adding Worcestershire and soy sauce is another popular addition. You can also add a squirt of Sriracha or Tabasco for a spicy kick.
Useful Tips for Dressed Omelet Rice
- By adding potato starch dissolved in water, the eggs will not break easily and you can make beautiful pleats.
- Filtering the eggs once will give you a beautiful finish.
- Add enough oil to make it slippery and easy to handle and prevent mistakes.
- Controlling the heat is important. First, heat the pan over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low.
- The egg should sizzle when you add it.
- When the edges of the egg start to harden, work quickly.
Serving Suggestions
Omu Rice is usually served topped with sweet and tangy ketchup sauce, but some people would also serve it with richer-tasting demi-glace sauce.
More Egg and Omelet Recipes to Try
Tornado Omurice (Japanese Dressed Omelet Rice) Step-by-Step Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 2
Ingredients
For Sauce
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Tonkatsu sauce or Worcestershire sauce, optional
- 1 tsp light soy sauce, optional
For Fried Rice
- 1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp green peas or finely chopped bell peppers
- 50g smoked ham, finely diced
- 1 serving of cooked rice (short or medium grain)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1/2 tsp chicken Bouillon Powder
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For Omelet
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp potato starch
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
Notes: You can double the recipe to make two servings, if desired. I used 2 eggs for one serving, you can also use three eggs to make more fluffy omelet. Feel free to use meat and vegetable as you like.
Instructions
Prepare the Sauce
Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
Prepare the Fried Rice
Prepare the ingredients.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with cooking oil. Stir fry carrot, onion, and green peas until the onion turns soft. Now, add ham and stir fry until cooked through.
Next, add the cooked rice, and stir well until the clumped-up rice is broken up and all the ingredients are well combined. Add ketchup, chicken powder, salt, and pepper, butter and continue to cook until the ketchup is evenly incorporated into the fried rice. Turn the heat off.
Shape the rice in a small bowl to make mounds of rice. Place the serving plate on the bowl and flip. Remove the bowl. Cover with a plastic to keep the rice warm while getting the omelet ready.
Make the Omelet
Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork or a pair of chopsticks. (Be careful not to create bubbles.) Stir in a pinch of salt and white pepper if used. Dissolve the potato starch in a separate small bowl with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Add the dissolved potato starch to the beaten eggs and mix.
Use a fine mesh strainer to sieve the beaten eggs before cooking the omelet. (This is also one of the key points for success as it makes the omelet turn smoothly).
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan (20cm) over medium-high heat. (It should be heated well enough for the egg to bubble up when you pour it in).
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and spread it all over the pan. If there is a lot of oil, the frying pan will slide more smoothly, making it easier to slide.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, pour in the eggs, and swirl it around to cover the pan. (Make sure the frying pan is warm enough to make a sizzling sound when you pour in the eggs, then pour in the beaten eggs all at once.)
- Cook until the surrounding area has hardened and the omelet starts forming big air bubbles in the middle.
- Hold one chopstick in each hand.
- As soon as the edges of the omelet start to harden, insert the chopsticks from both sides into the edge of the omelet.
- Use the chopsticks to bring the thinly cooked egg from the edges towards the center.
- Start twirling both chopsticks together counterclockwise to create pleats.
- Keeping the two chopsticks fixed in the middle, rotate the frying pan clockwise.
- If you hold the chopsticks in your dominant hand and the handle of the frying pan in your other hand, it will be easier.
- Once it has gone around, gently twist the chopstick in counterclockwise until you have created a beautiful swirl.
- With the chopsticks still upright, rotate the frying pan once until you have nice pleats,
- Swap the chopstick holding hands in between twirling to be able to keep turning and to make the omelet smoothly.
- Do not allow the omelet to be fully cooked.
- If the omelet is fully cooked, it’s hard to make the shape and it might break in the center.
Serve and Enjoy!!
When the dress is created, gently slide it over the shaped rice and gently pull out the chopsticks. The point is to keep the chopsticks in place until you’ve finished sliding them over the shaped rice.
Enjoy with ketchup sauce or your favorite sauce.
Pour the sauce around the omelet rice, and it’s done!
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Japanese Dressed Omurice | Tornado Omurice | Omelet Rice
Equipment
- Nonstick frying pan (20cm)
Ingredients
For Sauce
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Tonkatsu sauce or Worcestershire sauce optional
- 1 tsp light soy sauce optional
For Fried Rice
- 1/2 small carrot finely chopped
- 1/2 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp green peas or finely chopped bell peppers
- 50 g smoked ham finely diced
- 1 serving of cooked rice short or medium grain
- Cooking oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1/2 tsp chicken Bouillon Powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Omelet
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp potato starch
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
Prepare the Sauce
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
Prepare the Fried Rice
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with cooking oil. Stir fry carrot, onion, and green peas until the onion turns soft. Add ham and stir fry until cooked through.
- Add the cooked rice, and stir well until the clumped-up rice is broken up and all the ingredients are well combined. Add ketchup, chicken powder, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook until the ketchup is evenly incorporated into the fried rice. Turn the heat off.
- Shape the rice in a small bowl to make mounds of rice. Place the serving plate on the bowl and flip. Remove the bowl. Cover with a plastic to keep the rice warm while getting the omelet ready.
Make the Omelet
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork or a pair of chopsticks. (Be careful not to create bubbles.) Stir in a pinch of salt and white pepper if used. Dissolve the potato starch in a separate small bowl with 1 tablespoon of warm water. Add the dissolved potato starch to the beaten eggs and mix.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to sieve the beaten eggs before cooking the omelet. (This is also one of the key points for success as it makes the omelet turn smoothly).
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan (20cm) over medium-high heat. (It should be heated well enough for the egg to bubble up when you pour it in).
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil and spread it all over the pan. If there is a lot of oil, the frying pan will slide more smoothly, making it easier to slide.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, pour in the eggs, and swirl it around to cover the pan. (Make sure the frying pan is warm enough to make a sizzling sound when you pour in the eggs, then pour in the beaten eggs all at once.)
- Cook until the surrounding area has hardened and the omelet starts forming big air bubbles in the middle.
- Hold one chopstick in each hand. As soon as the edges of the omelet start to harden, insert the chopsticks from both sides into the edge of the omelet.
- Use the chopsticks to bring the thinly cooked egg from the edges towards the center. Start twirling both chopsticks together counterclockwise to create pleats.
- Keeping the two chopsticks fixed in the middle, rotate the frying pan clockwise.
- If you hold the chopsticks in your dominant hand and the handle of the frying pan in your other hand, it will be easier.
- Once it has gone around, gently twist the chopstick in counterclockwise until you have created a beautiful swirl.
- With the chopsticks still upright, rotate the frying pan once until you have nice pleats,
- Swap the chopstick holding hands in between twirling to be able to keep turning and to make the omelet smoothly.
- Do not allow the omelet to be fully cooked. If the omelet is fully cooked, it’s hard to make the shape and it might break in the center.
Serve and Enjoy!!
- When the dress is created, gently slide it over the shaped rice and gently pull out the chopsticks. The point is to keep the chopsticks in place until you’ve finished sliding them over the shaped rice.
- Pour the sauce around the omelet rice, and it’s done!
Notes
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