Tomato Chicken Rice with Omelet (Omu-Rice)

Besides the traditional Japanese food, there’re Western style food created by Japanese chefs in Japan.  This cuisine is called “yo-shoku” (Japanese Style Western Food) and I had more chances to eat these yo-shoku dishes than traditional Japanese food when I was little.

This dish “omu-rice” (omelet rice) is one of the popular yo-shoku dish in Japan, especially among kids.  The rice is stir-fried with frozen mix vegetables and chicken pieces, usually flavored with tomato based sauce.  Normally the rice is wrapped with omelet completely (like you wrap something with plastic wrap), but placing omelet over the rice is much easier when making multiple omu-rice, and it tastes just as good as the wrapped one.

In some restaurants chefs make omu-rice this way – make soft omelet over high heat, and place on top of prepared rice.  Then, they insert a knife to the omelet and the omelet opens and cover the rice.  I love when the egg is soft and fluffy!  (I’m sure you’ve tasted one of these if you had been to an omu-rice restaurant)

<Omu-Rice> serves 4

• 200g chicken thigh, diced
• 1 onion, medium, chopped
• 50cc white wine
• 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 400g cooked rice, cold
• 3 tbs tomato sauce
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

• 5 eggs
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tbs milk

White Stew with Chicken (Cream Stew)

Who doesn’t like hearty creamy soup in winter?  This is my favorite winter food in Japan: white cream stew.  The name says “cream” but there is no cream as ingredient.  We can make this dish with a ready-to-make packet which you can buy from oriental grocery shops.

You can add any vegetables, but basic ingredients are:

• chicken pieces
• potatoes
• onion
• carrot
• cream stew packet (usually House brand or S&B brand)

1. Slice ingredients.
2. Place all ingredients in a pan with water.
3. Bring to boil, and turn down the heat and simmer for 10~20 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat.  Add “cream stew mix”, and stir until the mix roux (or powder) melts into the water.
5. Turn on the heat again and simmer over low heat for 10~15 minuets.

You can also enjoy the following cooking as well, with simmiler ingredients.

- Japanese Style Beef Stew (mostly with beef)

- Japanese Style Curry (Seafood, Meat, Tofu, just vegetables…up to you!)

- Japanese Hayashi Rice (mostly with beef)

Just get the packet of mix, and now you have a lot of variety for nice winter meal

Creamy Prawn Gratin

Creamy tasty prawn gratin ♪This is also one of popular yo-shoku dish in Japan.  You can find this “Prawn Gratin” in family restaurants, cafes, and even at convenience stores.

<Prawn Gratin>

• 15g butter
• 15g plain flour
• about 2 cups milk
• 1 cup prawn
• 2 tbs macaroni
• 1/4 onion
• 1 tbs white wine
• grated mozzarella cheese + bread crumble

1. Slice onion.  Cook macaroni till just before al dente.
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan.  (Do not burn)  Add flour and stir.  Add milk little by little,  stir well at each addition of milk.  (using warmed milk is easier than cold milk)  Adjust the consistency with extra milk if needed.
3. In another pan, heat up olive oil and saute sliced onion.  Add prawn, then pour white wine and burn up the alcohol.
4. Pour bechamel sauce into 3.  Add macaroni, and stir through.  Season well.
5. Pour the mixture into a plate, and sprinkle grated cheese and bread crumble on the top.  Bake in the oven (200 ~ 220) until golden colored.  Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Fried Noodle Wrapped in Omelet (Omu-soba)

Similar to omu-rice, omu-soba is a dish which yakisoba (stir-fried noodle) is wrapped in thinly cooked omelet.  This is not really yo-shoku (Japanese Style Western Food) nor Japanese food.  Someone made up this dish like “hey, if you can wrap up rice with omelet, why don’t we do that for yakisoba too?”

Yaki-soba is Japanese style stir-fried egg noodle (thin).  It’s usually cooked with thinly sliced pork, onion, carrot and cabbage, and topped with ao-nori and bonito flake, then served with red pickled ginger.  We use yakisoba sauce which you can easily buy from supermarket in Japan.  The sauce is quite exensive in Asian grocery shops in Perth, so I normally season the noodle by myself.

< Yaki-soba > for one

• 1 portion of yakisoba noodle (or any thin egg noodle)
• onion, carrot, cabbage, beanshoots, some meat or seafood (up to you)
• 2 tsp Worcester sauce
• 1 tsp tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• salt & pepper
• tomato sauce + Japanese mayonnaise + ao-nori to garnish

1. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a frying pan.  If you are using thinly sliced pork, cook the meat first.  If you are using some other meat/seafood, saute sliced onion and carrot, then add meat/seafood.  Season with salt&pepper.
2. Add roughly chopped cabbage.  Stir-fry for about 1 min, and add yakisoba noodle.  Try to loosen up the noodle with chopsticks, and drop 1~2 tsp water.  Stir, turn down the heat and cover with lid.
3. Once the water is absorbed into noodle, take off the lid and turn the heat to medium.  Pour the sauce and stir-fry.  Season if required, and set aside.
4. In another frying pan, cook thin omelet.  Turn off the heat.
5. Place yakisoba noodle onto the omelet.  Place a plate on the top of frying pan (the serving side down), and flip it around.
6. Curl the edge of omelet in and completely wrap up yakisoba.  Drizzle mayo, tomato sauce and sprinkle ao-nori.