Japanese Omurice AKA Gudechallah

One of the best parts of living in the South Bay is the abundance of good Japanese food, whether it be in restaurants or Japanese markets. One of my favorite snacks is omurice, a tomato fried rice covered in a thin layer of egg.

One of the other things you should know about our household is that we have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with a Japanese character named Gudetama who is a lazy egg. (See picture below).

Now when you combine these two parts of my life, you get this Gudetama shaped omurice challah! While this is not the traditional rice covered in egg, it is rice covered in a lazy egg shaped challah and I hope it brings you some joy!

Dough

1 Tablespoon instant yeast

½ Cup sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1 Teaspoon kosher salt

2 Teaspoons turmeric

¼ Cup butter (melted)

1 Cup warm water

3-4 Cups flour

Omurice Filling

1 Cup cooked white rice

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

½ White onion

Soy Sauce “Paint”

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Black gel food coloring

Whisk egg, salt, melted butter, water, sugar, turmeric, and yeast in a large bowl.

Add the flour one cup at a time to yeast mixture. Using a strong spatula to mix at the beginning and using your hands to mix once it gets too difficult with the spatula.

Once the dough is fully mixed, turn onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. (If you don’t knead the dough well enough, the challah will not hold its shape when it is baked).

Grease a large bowl with spray oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and put in the oven to proof. (Make sure the oven is off!) Proof until the dough is doubled in size about 45 minutes-1 hour.

While the dough is proofing, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan. Add in the ½ onion, chopped very finely and cook for two minutes. Add in the rice, ketchup, and soy sauce. Stir until well mixed and cook on high for 5 minutes.

Once finished cooking, push down into an 8 inch round cake pan and cool completely.

Once the dough is proofed, roll into a large circle and turn the cake pan of rice upside down to create a circle of rice in the middle of the circle of dough. Pinch the dough together to close the circle and flip over.

Paint on the eyes and mouth with the soy sauce/food coloring combination.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating, allow the bread to sit and complete a short second proof.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cut open and enjoy warm :)