Sometimes the simplest meals are the most satisfying, for example, a Chip Butty or the classic English meal of beans on toast. Tonight we present a different international comfort food - one with more kick and less after-dinner music.

I was pretty darned hungry after coming home from the gym, and there wasn't a lot in the fridge (yep, due for a grocery trip). On the way home on the "L" the image of omuraisu popped into my head*. Perfect - since I had all the ingredients on hand! I first saw an omuraisu in Tampopo (a wonderful 80's surrealist comedy by the late Juzo Itami, dealing with our complex relationships with food; one of my favorite films). In one of the film's sub-scenes, we see a homeless duo - and elderly man and a young boy - sneak into a restaurant kitchen after closing time to artfully prepare an impromptu omuraisu. Granted, my first attempt (seen above) isn't as pretty as the restaurant-made kind, but it certainly was tasty.

I made mine with an omelet shell of 2 eggs, 2 T. water, 1/2 tsp. Kikkoman lower-sodium soy sauce, and one chopped scallion. The filling was a cup of cold cooked white basmati rice, half a cup of lightly cooked frozen peas, a teaspoon of ketchup and a squirt of sriracha sauce for extra kick.

[* I don't even want to think of why I would think of omuraisu on the "L," since my ride was especially gross this evening. Since this is a food posting, I'll spare you the gory details. Just Hungry has a lovely post on omuraisu, and also mentions the memorable scene in Tampopo (which to my delight has been released on DVD after being OOP for many years!)]

Labels: food

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