This is Recipe Roundup, episode 81. When I was growing up in Bath county, I purchased my first volume of Japanese manga from the Scholastic book fair at my school when I was 12 or 13. I was immediately taken in by the style – punchy graphics, cultural idioms that encouraged me to learn more about Japanese culture, and the experience of rewiring my brain to read pages from Right to Left – I found myself enraptured by all of it. These days, Japanese manga, or comics, and anime, or cartoons, are much more widely available and experienced in the popular culture of the United States – even if you are not intimately familiar with the genre, you’ve definitely come across an example: Astro Boy, Speed Racer, Dragon Ball Z, Yugi-Oh, and Pokemon are all extremely popular examples of anime. 

Along with the appreciation of these graphic novels and shows often comes an interest in Japanese culture and foods that appear often in the publications. Some examples include – Ramune Sodas, which are sealed with a marble that you have to pop down into the bottle and Pocky, chocolate dipped biscuit sticks that come in many different flavors. There is also plenty of prepared Japanese food that makes an appearance like Japanese curry, ramen, and onigiri or rice balls.  

This week’s recipe is something I’ve been eyeing for a LONG time and I finally made it and that’s Chicken Omurice! A portmanteau of omelette and rice, this dish is basically chicken fried rice wrapped in a thin omelet. I highly recommend this recipe as an easy way to process some leftover rice and chicken into an exciting and cute dish. I’ll give the recipe for a single serving, but we made ours in batches!

For the rice: Cooking Oil 1 cup of cooked rice ½ cup chopped chicken ½ cup mixed vegetables

¼ chopped onion 2 tbs of soy 2 tbs ketchup 1 tbs sesame oil Dash of fish sauce (optional)

For the Omelette  1 egg  1 tbs of milk Ketchup for decoration 

1. Start by heating a pan or ideally a wok on high heat with your cooking oil of choice. If using raw chicken, start by browning the chicken and then add the onions in. If working with cooked chicken, start with the onions first. Add in whatever vegetables you like in fried rice: carrots, corn, peas, and mushrooms are all good choices. 
2. Add your rice and continue to stir fry as you add in the soy sauce, ketchup,  sesame oil, and fish sauce if you are using it. NOTE when you order fried rice at an asian restaurant, much of the flavor comes from the wok itself and the high heat and flame used in the cooking! 
3. When the rice is to your liking, set that aside and heat a nonstick skillet on medium heat. 
4. Mix the egg and milk well until the mixture is uniform. Cook a thin omelet in the skillet, tilting so the mixture cooks in an even layer. 
5. When the egg looks tacky but not let all the way dry, scoop a large helping of the fried rice into the center of the omelet. Wrap the side of the egg upward around the mixture. 
6. Very gently, transfer the omelet filled with rice to a plat, flipping it in the process so the rice side is down. Cover with a paper towel and gently shape the omelet more tightly around the rice, as if you are tucking in a bedsheet. 
7. Finally, draw the words or design of your choice on top of the omelet with ketchup and enjoy!