Yakimeshi or Japanese Fried rice

Have you ever wondered if there is any difference between types of Fried rice ? Well , I never differentiated the nomenclature up until I met Aiko San in a small shop near our hotel in Kyoto . In whatever minimal English she knew , she managed to rattle out at least 10 different types of fried rice versions , all of which she was ready to bet would be significantly different in taste . Aiko San was my 1st introduction to Yakimeshi & in simple words , as she put it , is nothing fancy but a hot steaming colorful plate of umami packed rice .

Fried rice , is distinctly different across cultures .

The Chinese always use long grain rice to make their fried rice while the Japanese stick to the use of stickier short grained rice . It is also a cheap dish to make with leftover rice because you can nearly use any vegetables or meat along with it to flavor the leftover . Also, it becomes a very common dish during the week because it is so quick , easy and satisfying .

Most often , this happens to be my go to weekday quick fix for one dish meals ! Take a look...

Things you will need

• 1 cup of cooked short-grain rice ( preferably leftover )

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

• 2 eggs , beaten and scrambled ahead

• Mix of veges of your own choice ( I used finely chopped red pepper , beans , carrot , onion and green onion )

• 1/4th cup chopped boneless chicken , diced or 1/4th cup prawns , diced

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp honey

• 2 tsp fish oil

• 3 tsp shrimp powder ( I usually buy dried shrimp and blitz it to a fine powder to use . The shrimp powder happens to be sole reason for the umami , so sorry , but this ingredient can't be replaced or missed )

• 1 tsp chopped garlic

• Green chilli , finely chopped as per taste

• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps to follow :

• Heat oil in a large stir fry pan.

• Add in all the garlic along with the veges , diced chicken , prawn , salt , pepper and stir fry on high flame for 5 minutes.

• Next combine the soy sauce and the honey together in a bowl .

• Add in the rice along with all the sauces , shrimp powder , chilli and toss everything together for another 5 - 10 minutes on high flame .

• To serve the Yakimeshi, press the rice into a round bowl to mold it into a perfect dome.

• Serve hot with some sweet chilli sauce and fresh salad greens for an enhanced flavor.

• Bon Appetite !