Homemade Viral Omurice with Quick Demi-Glace

I’m not gonna even lie and say this is an approachable recipe you guys. This was the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted to cook or bake – I’m dead serious. Chef Motokichi, of viral omurice fame, truly is a master at what he does.

But of course, most of us who know about this viral omurice have always wondered if we could do it ourselves. My answer is….you definitely can, just with lots of practice, sturdy patience and many eggs. And there was A LOT of eggs used you guys.

Was it worth it? Probably not, but at least I can say I attempted this and (kind of) succeeded – with the help of my cousin (thanks Kha). We were both good at one part of the omelette formation but for some reason could not succeed at the other part. So we combined forces and managed to make a passable omurice that we could be proud of.

I tried to break down this recipe step-by-step with pictures so that the infamous omurice could be more approachable. I’ve also researched how to make a much less complicated version of a traditional demi-glace. Because let’s be real, no one at home has the time and luxury to roast bones and make homemade stock just for what is essentially an omelette on fried rice.

It’s a delicious dish, but would I make it ever again? Definitely not. But if you’re a curious bean like myself, you might want to take a crack at it yourself. Good luck, and arm yourself with many eggs.

Pstt *shameless plug* if you wanna watch the process, check out the highlight on my Instagram @pokethedough

• 

• 

Viral Omurice with Quick Demi-Glace

Ingredients

Makes 1 serving (one plate of omurice)

For the demi-glace (makes enough for 4 servings of omurice):

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion

1 stalk celery

1 carrot

½ tsp salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp tomato paste

4 Tbsp red wine

8 cups beef stock

3 bay leaf

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

3 sprigs parsley

8 peppercorns

2 tbsp unsalted butter

4 tbsp all-purpose flour

For the fried rice (makes 1 omurice portion):

1/4 cup neutral oil

1 boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 diced onion or 1 shallot

1 tbsp butter

1 cup cooked rice (preferably day-old refrigerated rice or rice left out to dry in the open)

1/4 cup demi-glace

Soy sauce to taste

For the omelette (makes 1 omurice portion):

3 whole large eggs

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp oil (or just enough oil to rub around the pan)

Instructions

For the demi-glace

Inspired by Just One Cookbook

Gather all the ingredients. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425 ºF (220 ºC).

Cut the onion, celery, and carrot into small chunks.

In the Dutch oven (or oven-safe heavy bottom pot), add 1 Tbsp olive oil. When the pot is hot, add chopped onion, celery, and carrot.

Season with ½ tsp kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes.

Pop in the oven and roast at 425 ºF (220 ºC) for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare bouquet garni. Encase bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and 8 peppercorns in the cheesecloth. Tie the corners tightly.

Transfer the pot from the oven to the stove. Add tomato paste and mix well.

Add red wine and beef stock and mix to combine. Add bouquet garni and bring it to boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 1.5 hours until roughly 3 cups of broth remain in the pot. You can skim the foam and scum during reducing.

About 30 minutes before finishing the reduction process, start making brown roux. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

Add flour and with a silicone spatula, combine well. At first, it will turn into a crumble-like texture. Then it will turn into foam and liquid. Continue to cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the color turns brown, like chocolate. Set aside and wait until the stock is done reducing.

After cooking for 1.5 hours, the stock has been reduced. You will need 3 cups of the stock. Strain the vegetables out through a sieve over a measuring cup. Set the 3 cups of stock aside.

When you have the brown roux ready, put the pot back on the stove on low heat. Gradually add the stock to the brown roux and combine well before you add more stock. Once you add all 3 cups and mixed it well, the Demi-Glace is ready to use; set aside for the rest of this recipe.

For the fried rice

In a pan or wok over high heat, combine the oil and chicken. Sauté until chicken is mostly white and not pink.

Add the onion or shallot and sauté until softened. Add butter and combine.

Add the rice, making sure to break up any clumps. Then add the demi-glace, stir and flip pan to combine.

Scoop rice into omurice mold. Keep warm on plate while making omelette.

For the omelette

(Watch my instagram story highlight @pokethedough for visual reference. Or any omurice video on Youtube. You’re definitely going to need it.)

Wipe the bottom and sides of an 8-inch non-stick pan with a bit of neutral oil. Set the heat to medium-high.

Into 3 eggs, sprinkle in a pinch of salt. Whisk well to combine.

Pour the eggs into the pan, and working quickly, stir and swirl your chopsticks around in circles quickly to form small curds throughout. Shake the pan back and forth while you do this. Don’t forget to clean around the edges of the pan as well.

• 

• 

• 

• 

When the egg is barely set on the bottom, tilt the pan downwards away from you, and using your chopsticks, lift the edge of the egg facing you.

(This is a crucial point: stir the eggs too long and you end up with scrambled eggs and not enough liquid to form the bottom. Wait too long and the omelette will break when you’re folding it. Fold too early, and you end up with too much liquid to flip and hold)

Roll and fold the edge of the egg away from you until the omelette is on the other side of the pan, shaped like a semi-circle with runny insides.

• 

• 

Tilt the pan so that the edge of the pan farthest from you, gets some heat on the runny eggs. Run your chopsticks between the edge of the pan and the egg that touches it to loosen that edge up.

Either using a tapping motion on the handle of the pan, or simply using a chopstick, get the omelette to fold in on itself.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Tilt the pan downwards away from you, hold the chopsticks under the underside of the omelette, and at the same time, flip the omelette over as you tilt and flip the pan towards you.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Let the omelette cook and seal for a few seconds. Remove the omurice mold from the fried rice and release the omelette carefully onto the shaped rice.

• 

• 

Using a knife, slice down the omelette to open itself up onto the rice and reveal its runny insides. Pour demi-glace on top, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•