Omurice
Western-influenced Japanese dish consisting of an omelette with rice
title: "Omurice" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["articles-containing-video-clips", "fried-rice", "japanese-rice-dishes", "korean-rice-dishes", "omelettes", "wasei-eigo", "japanese-egg-dishes"] description: "Western-influenced Japanese dish consisting of an omelette with rice" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omurice" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Western-influenced Japanese dish consisting of an omelette with rice ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox Prepared Food"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Omurice |
| image | Omurice by Taimeiken.jpg |
| caption | Omurice topped with ketchup |
| alternate_name | Japanese egg roll fried rice |
| place_of_origin | Japan |
| main_ingredient | Chicken eggs, rice and ketchup optional |
| variations | Omu curry, omuhayashi (with hayashi rice), omu-soba, Tampopo omurice |
| :: |
| name = Omurice | image = Omurice by Taimeiken.jpg | caption = Omurice topped with ketchup | alternate_name = Japanese egg roll fried rice | place_of_origin = Japan | region = | creator = | year = | course = | served = | main_ingredient = Chicken eggs, rice and ketchup optional | variations = Omu curry, omuhayashi (with hayashi rice), omu-soba, Tampopo omurice | calories = | other = Omurice or omu-rice is a Japanese dish consisting of an omelette made with fried rice and a thin layer of scrambled eggs, usually topped with ketchup. It is a well-known dish also commonly cooked at home. Children in particular enjoy omurice. It is often featured in Japan's version of a children's meal, okosama-ranchi.
Etymology
With omu and raisu being derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the French word omelette and the English word "rice", the name is an example of wasei-eigo.
History
Stories about the origins of omurice vary. One story says that it originated around the turn of the 20th century at a Western-style restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district called Renga-tei, inspired by chakin-zushi.
Another story says that the dish originated in 1925 at another Western-style restaurant – Hokkyokusei in Minami, Osaka, when a cook decided to enliven a regular customer's order of an omelet with rice.
Variations
The dish typically consists of chikin raisu(ja) (chicken rice: rice pan-fried with ketchup and chicken) wrapped in a thin sheet of fried, scrambled eggs. The ingredients flavoring the rice vary. Often, the rice is fried with various meats (but typically chicken) or vegetables, and can be flavored with beef stock, ketchup, demi-glace, white sauce, or simply salt and pepper. Sometimes, rice is replaced with fried noodles (yakisoba) to make omusoba. A variant in Okinawa is omutako, consisting of an omelet over taco rice. Fried hot dog and Spam are also two popular meats to include in the dish.
Volga rice is another variation, topped with crumb-covered pork cutlet with the whole dish covered in a rich sauce.
|mode=packed |noborder = yes |height=120 |File:Omurice restaurant 2 by alainkun in Tokyo.jpg|Models of various omurice dishes |File:Detalle del omirmasu.jpg|On the inside |File:Omuraisu demigurasu.jpg|Omurice with demi-glace sauce |File:Omurice making, -Jul. 2012 a.ogv|Video of the preparation of an omurice dish |File:Omurice-inshop-okayama-japan-2019-08-14.webm|Video of cutting open an omurice
Similar dishes
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Nasi_goreng_Pattaya.JPG" caption="Indonesian version of ''nasi goreng pattaya'' in [[Pekanbaru]], Sumatra"] ::
A similar dish in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore is called nasi goreng pattaya. It is a fried rice dish, covering chicken fried rice in thin fried egg or omelet.
In popular culture
A new kind of omurice was developed for the 1985 comedy film Tampopo in collaboration with Taimeiken, a famous restaurant in Nihonbashi. This version has the rice covered with a half-cooked omelet, which is cut open to spread and cover the rice. This version has become so popular that it is the restaurant standard now. Home cooks typically cook a thin omelet completely and then place it over the seasoned rice and decorate it with ketchup.
Homestyle omurice is a frequent item on maid café menus since the addition of ketchup allows a maid to decorate the meal easily at the table as a form of service.
In the 2020s, clips of chefs preparing omurice often went viral on social media, leading to an increased international interest in the dish.
References
References
- "[http://www.justhungry.com/2006/08/omuraisu_omu_ri.html Omuraisu (also known as omurice or omu rice, Japanese rice omelet)]" {{Webarchive. link. (2018-11-07 , JustHungry.com.)
- Nishimoto, Miyoko (June 1992). "Beyond Sushi: Japanese Cooking in the Great Home-Style Tradition", ''Vegetarian Times'', No. 178. {{issn. 0164-8497.
- Paxton, Norbert (2008). ''The Rough Guide to Korea'', p.249. {{ISBN. 978-1-4053-8420-9.
- Shimbo, Hiroko (2000). ''The Japanese Kitchen'', p.148. {{ISBN. 1-55832-177-2.
- Kishi Asako (March 15, 2002). "[http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia20/en/appetit/index.html NIPPONIA No.20: Omuraisu]" {{Webarchive. link. (2018-09-10 , Web-Japan.org.)
- "Omu-rice". Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau.
- "Japanese traditional recipes with "Kamisho Satoimo" from Fukui".
- "Volga Rice - 【郷土料理ものがたり】".
- (2023-01-01). "A Japanese comfort dish that's also a viral sensation".
- Joey Morona, cleveland com. (2025-06-25). "I tried the TikTok-famous omurice at Kyuramen in Strongsville. Should you?".
- "Viral Kichi Kichi Omurice Chef Coming to Singapore".
- Sula, Mike. (2024-02-20). "The camera eats first when omurice comes to the table".
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