Japanese Rice Omelette "Omurice" (Sunday Brunch)

This menu is created in Japan in early 20th century. When Japan opened to the international world, many western things were introduced there including food such as omelette. They started to season rice with ketchup and add the omelette or scrambled egg on the top and called it "rice omelette". In this way the menu "omurice" was  established. Omurice is still very popular all over Japan. It is one of the best way to recycle leftover rice and veggies.

To see the omurice cooking, please watch a scene from a film, "Tampopo". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu7amiPEJhU&feature=fvwrel.

Ingredients (for two people) 

2.5 cups of leftover rice (if it is frozen, please defrost in microwave for 40 seconds), 1/2 large onion, 4 eggs, 2-3 pieces of ham or sausage, 3 tablespoons+ ketchup, salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cut the onion and ham into pieces such as 5mm cube. 
2. Heat a large frying pan with one table spoonful vegetable oil and start to fry the onion
3. When the onion became translucent, add the rest of ingredients and keep mixing them well 
4. Add two table spoonfuls ketchup, salt and pepper and mix well until everything mixed thoroughly
5. Put the half portion of fried rice (for one person) into a bowl and press the surface with the spatula to make the portion dense. Cover the bowl with a serving dish and flip it upside down and reshape the top of the rice with spoon or cling film to make it flat (for the stable landing of the omelette)
6. Heat a small frying pan with one table spoonful oil and beat the egg in a bowl
7. Make a half done omelette and place it on the top of the fried rice
8. Add some ketchup on the top (in my Japanese family, they draw eachone's name on each portion. It is fun.)

Fry the rice and veggies thoroughly

Put the rice into a bowl densely 

Cover the bowl with a dish and flip them upside down

Flatten the top of the rice potion 

Place the omelette on the top

Total time for preparing: 20 mins
Total cost: 70p for two eggs and 1/2 onion