People say that the Japanese take what the world has to offer, improve it, and then own it. Consider whiskey, beer, consumer electronics, automobiles, etc. And omelets, or “omarice”!
Omarice, also spelled omaraisu, is a Japanese omelet. In the United States we’re familiar with a variety of omelets. These include The French, The Cheese, The Denver, The Florentine, The Western, The Spanish, The Mexican and so on. Of course, it’s possible to put just about anything in a fluffy scrambled egg wrap and call it an omelet!
“Omarice” is a portmanteau: “oma” is from omelet and “rice” is the Japanese pronunciation of rice. The phonetic pronunciation is OH-mah-rice-oo.
Omarice is a popular Japanese dish, some would say Japanese comfort food. It is a fried rice omelet, typically made with chicken fried rice (“chikin raisu”), but also made with various meats and vegetables. Cooks sometimes flavor it with demi-glace, ketchup, or just salt and pepper.
Motokichi Yukimura, owner and chef at Kichi Kichi in Kyoto is world famous for his Omarice. Kichi Kich is an Izakaya which is like a Japanese pub that offers a variety of food and drinks where you might go after work for socializing and sharing dishes. Over the last decade Yukimura has made numerous international TV appearances and has gained a worldwide following for his animated performances and witty banter as he cooks for his customers and the camera. He and his Izakaya are so popular that eating there is by reservation only.
Here are the entrance and interior of his world famous restaurant.
Andrew Ilnyckyj from New Jersey went to Tokyo a few years back to learn the secrets of preparing great Omaraisu from the master himself. Yukimura is a wonderful teacher despite the language barrier!
Image Credits:
Images from The Travel Mentor.