I don’t know about you all, but I am so not ready for Christmas and the end of the year! I find myself juggling so many things to begin with, but then there’s presents to procure, work to finish, cookies to bake… Before we left for our travels to the midwest for Thanksgiving, we three enjoyed the Annual Children’s Book Festival at the Brooklyn Museum. If you are in the area, it is a wonderful opportunity to meet Brooklyn authors. It’s usually the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and it’s free!
It was packed like this all day. That’s me and Jamie on the bottom right.
My friend, Claude, took this of us.
I also did a book reading, craft, and signing this past weekend at Grace Church School in Brooklyn, where Jamie went to pre-school. I can’t believe it’s been SEVEN years since we first entered that beautiful building!
Me reading Soup Day — Jamie doing a great job not looking bored!
It is always very nostalgic going there. My very first post on this blog was the Rocking Horse Cookies I made for a Bake Sale there. Time flies…
As for the Omu Raisu… This is one of those common dishes that you could find everywhere in Japan — I haven’t been in ages, so I don’t know what it is like now. It’s a Japanese version of a Western dish. And as I saw when I lived there, way back in the 90s, “Western” often included ketchup. I taught a cooking class there with my friend, Elaine, to some of my (adult) English language students.
We decided to do Crunchy Tacos– American style– as in, the kind you get at Taco Bell. At the time it was pretty impossible to get authentic Mexican ingredients where we were living. It was really fun, and the students loved the tacos, but the one thing I remember is them saying that it would be good with ketchup. lol
Anyway, one of my favorite scenes in the movie, Tampopo, directed by Juzo Itami, is when this hobo makes Omu Raisu in a deserted ship kitchen for Tampopo’s son. View here. It’s so cute! The hobo’s version is not stuffed– he cooks a perfect omelet and puts it atop a bed of ketchup rice.
Here is a video on how to make a Miffy Lion Omu Raisu!! I found this while searching for the scene in Tampopo. OMG. The Japanese are so good at cute.
Omu Raisu is one of Jamie’s favorite dishes — he’s a ketchup fiend. I hadn’t made it in awhile, but while visiting my brother, he introduced us to this awesome YouTube channel, “Cooking with Dog”. We watched numerous episodes on Apple TV while there. I love that the dog just sits on a stool in the background as the chef cooks. Here is the Cooking with Dog Omu Raisu episode.
My Omu Raisu is a simplified version. I don’t use tomato sauce, just ketchup. You can fill it with whatever meat and vegetables you like, but I like to use the traditional chicken. I love white rice, but only had brown rice on hand. As you can see, I have picky eaters to please, so I made different fillings for everyone. I made a big batch of chicken and onions and rice first; doled out a portion for Denis in a bowl; then added the ketchup, peas, and corn (all things Denis hates); doled out a portion for Jamie; and then added cooked broccoli to the remaining filling for myself. It was like a logic problem.
Thank you, Chef! I usually don’t post about awards because I am extremely busy, and I always have a slight bout of anxiety thinking of gathering other links, notifying the recipients of the awards, and wondering what they will do. But I was so touched by Chef Mimi’s no pressure attitude. Plus, she’s a self taught cook like me and learned along the way while raising and feeding her family. She has a wonderful collection of recipes in her recipe guide on her blog, so check it out!
Omu Raisu (Japanese Omelet Rice) For three servings
4 teaspoons oil
Some onion — about 1/2 cup, diced, depending on your taste
about 1/4 cup cooked rice for each serving 1 chicken breast, chopped into small pieces about 1 cup of cooked vegetables
2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup ketchup, depending on how much you like ketchup 6 eggs (1-2 per person)
1) Saute onions and chicken in 1 teaspoon oil in a non stick pan. When it’s cooked, added cooked rice and cooked vegetables and ketchup. Stir to incorporate. Remove to a dish.
2) Using a clean pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil and swirl around.
3) Beat 1-2 eggs in a bowl. Add to pan. Move around so that the egg covers bottom of pan. When it’s almost done, lay filling on one half of egg circle. Flip other half on top. Put a plate on pan and flip omelet out onto the plate. (The cooking with dog chef puts the filling in the middle and folds each side over — you can do this too, but my way is easier!)
4) Serve immediately, garnished with more ketchup!
