What with the recent troubles and disputes in China concerning the Senkaku islands, and with many of the fervent anti-Japanese demonstrations often escalating into violence, Japanese both at home and abroad are understandably feeling a little delicate right now.

Japanese-owned stores and factories in China have borne the brunt of many nationalists’ anger, suffering considerable damage to property, and a number of Japanese businesses with locations in China are incurring significant losses.

With this in mind, we here at RocketNews24 are doing our bit to cheer Japan up and get back some of that lost pride.

As well as buying plenty of Japanese-produced goods to give the economy a helping-hand, we’ve decided to add a dash of patriotism to our plates and bring you a recipe for possibly the most patriotic, yet easy to make, dish ever: Land of the Rising Sun Omu-Raisu (omelette rice).

So grab a frying pan, put on your apron, and let’s cook up a little cheer for Japan!

<< The RocketNews24 Land of the Rising Sun Omu-Raisu Recipe >>

-  Ingredients -

1 pack of cooked rice (yes, this is cheating, but this is the simple version, remember!)

50g boneless chicken thigh

¼ of an onion

2 eggs

Tomato ketchup (to taste, and for the centre of our flag!)

(Keep that cheer to the max by keeping your ingredients Japan-produced, please, boys and girls!)

-  Method –

1. Head down to a Japanese-owned supermarket that stocks the necessary Japan-produced ingredients. (When buying your ingredients, if you’re not sure whether you’re buying Japanese or not, look for the “kokusan” kanji characters 「国産」, which literally means “country-made”, but indicates that it’s from within Japan.)

2. Slice the chicken into very small pieces, then finely chop the onion. 

3. Add the contents of (2) to your oiled, pre-heated frying pan and fry lightly.

4. You know what they say about omelettes and breaking eggs? Well now’s the time. Crack those little chaps open and then carefully separate the yolks from the egg-white. Add the yolk only to the pan along with your chicken and onion, cook gently. (Think about Japan. Maybe hum your favourite Studio Ghibli song. I’m using “My Neighbour Totoro” here, but feel free to substitute in whatever you have in your head.)

5. Heat your rice pack up in the microwave. Once warmed-through, add to the frying pan, along with a little ketchup to taste, and mix thoroughly to make chicken rice. (Make sure that your ketchup is not made from tomatoes originating from any country that’s been giving Japan a hard time. This is Land of the Rising Sun Omu-Raisu, remember!) Remove and shape into a rough rectangle shape on your plate or dish.

6. Add your egg-white to a small, rectangular-shaped tamago-yaki frying pan. If you don’t have one of these, you can simply coax the egg white into a rectangle shape, or trim the sides with a knife. (Take extra care with this step- you’re cooking the flag of Japan right here… burn it and there’ll be trouble…) Cut a small circle from the centre of the cooked egg-white. Place on top of your pre-shaped rice. Fill the small hole with a thin layer of ketchup, forming the flag’s iconic red sun. This completes your amazing / delicious Japanese flag.

7. Place your incredibly patriotic meal on the table. Stand before it, bow once, then give a heart-felt rendition of from the Japanese national anthem. If you can’t manage the anthem, re-use your Ghibli song from earlier. Bow once again, sit, say “itadakimasu” (the polite phrase to use before a meal) and tuck in.

Knowing that you’re supporting Japan in every possible way with this meal, you’re likely to absorb around one million times the normal amount of nutrients and energy. Put this to good use- perhaps pen a few haikus or attempt some block-print art depicting traditional scenes of Japanese beauty.

Those of you still in need of a little more patriotism during your meal, perhaps have a short flag-hoisting ceremony prior to cooking, or track down a CD of the Japan Self Defence Forces’ orchestral performance of the national anthem to play on loop…

Give it a go. We’d love to see the photos of your patriotic cuisine, so, by all means, send them in!

Photos: RocketNews24


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