Omurice in just five minutes? We had to try it.

Kaldi Coffee is a food shop that sells many things–coffee, of course, but also imported food products, wine, and lately unique and convenient edibles like spreadable french toast. We like to shop there to find out what kind of new, convenient, tasty food products they have, and our most recent trip didn’t disappoint.

This time we found the “Eh?! Renji de Omuraisu!?” (“What?! Microwavable Omelet Rice?”) easy-cook set, which had us pretty excited. Though the name of the set initially inspired more surprise than the set itself, we couldn’t help but be intrigued by the prospect. Normally omelet rice (known as omurice in Japanese), though not a terribly complicated dish to make, requires more steps than simply popping it in the microwave, since you have to cook the veggies, rice, sauce, and omelet. That’s why being able to do it all with a single microwave showed incredible promise.

▼ “What? Microwavable Omelet Rice?!”

Naturally, it was only 410 yen (US$2.80), so we bought it and immediately whisked it home to try. All you need besides the kit is two eggs–the ketchup-based sauce, rice, and cooking container are all included.

Inside the container were two sealed plastic packages: the “omelet rice ingredients” and the “rice ingredients”. The instructions said it would take only five minutes to cook in the microwave, but this we found hard to believe because the rice was still completely raw.

If you’ve ever cooked rice in the microwave, you’ll know it takes far longer than five minutes. We began to wonder if this particular omelet rice was going to have crunchier rice, like paella, maybe. Well, in for a penny in for a pound.

We followed the instructions on the box, mixing the “omelet rice ingredients” and “rice ingredients” together in the container. Then we put the lid on and microwaved it for three minutes.

While we waited, we whisked our two eggs, and when the microwaved dinged, we poured them over the rice.

After that, it all went back in the microwave for two more minutes, and after a total of five minutes of cooking, it was apparently done! It did look more-or-less like omelet rice when it came out.

The most important thing for us was to check the rice. Contrary to our expectations, it was properly cooked, which was a relief. We had no idea how it cooked so quickly, so we took a gander at the website; apparently they use “microwaveable rice”.

Since the rice was cooked in the “omelet rice ingredients” sauce, it had soaked up a delightful ketchup flavor. It was soft, but not too soft, with well-defined grains, and we thought it was somehow even more delicious than microwavable rice packs.

With a decent amount of vegetables scattered throughout the rice, everything seemed comparable to a standard plate of omelet rice. Considering it was made in five minutes in the microwave, that’s honestly pretty exceptional.

However, we had yet to taste the crux of the recipe: the omelet. It was completely different from the type of omelet you would make in a frying pan. We wouldn’t say it was dry and tasteless, but it certainly was thoroughly cooked.

Those who like a well-cooked egg will likely enjoy this, but those who prefer their omurice omelets to be fluffy or even a little bit on the runny side will probably find this unacceptable. We, at least, wished we had cooked the eggs ourselves instead of putting them in the microwave.

Still, the fact that it was basically a proper omelet rice that was cooked in just five minutes, which was also piping hot all the way through when it was ready to eat, is quite impressive. Plus, you can eat it right out of the container it cooks in, so you can basically get by with just about no dishes to wash, which is pretty ideal.

If you’re not too picky about the way your omelet is cooked, and you want a quick, easy meal that’s no mess and no fuss, this is a great option. We guarantee that the raw rice will be done in those five minutes, so don’t worry about that part! And if you prefer big, fluffy omelets, you might also try using this handy device for microwaving eggs. If you can successfully combine the two microwave cooking devices, you’ve got yourself a winner!

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