Folded omurice

Make the ketchup rice

Cook the onion in oil over moderate heat for 4–5 minutes. Add peas and rice and stir-fry until steaming hot throughout. Mix in the ketchup and soy sauce.

Look for: Every part of the rice is hot and evenly orange; no cold clumps remain.

Shape the rice

Turn the rice onto a plate and press it into a firm oval with a spatula or a sheet of cling film. A tight oval fits inside the egg without stretching it. Cover it to keep it hot.

Look for: A compact oval, about 12 cm long, with no loose grains at the ends.

Beat the eggs

Beat the eggs with the milk and salt. Wipe the pan clean.

Look for: The mixture has no long streaks of white.

Scramble, then level

Melt the butter in a 20 cm nonstick pan over moderate heat and pour in the eggs. Stir fast in small circles with chopsticks while you shake the pan back and forth. When the egg is about half set, stop stirring and smooth the surface with the spatula into an even sheet.

Look for: Small soft curds sit in a glossy, half-set layer with a smooth top.

Take the heat off

Set the pan on a damp, wrung-out cloth on a heatproof surface for a few seconds. This stops the underside browning while you wrap. On gas you can lift the pan clear of the flame instead.

Look for: The underside is still pale and the top is still glossy.

Fold the near edge over the rice

Lay the rice oval across the middle of the egg, its long side facing you. Tilt the pan away from you. Slide the spatula under the edge nearest you and fold it up over the rice.

Look for: The near third of the egg covers the lower half of the rice.

Slide and close

Keep the pan tilted and nudge the packet towards the far side until it rests against the lip. Use the spatula to fold the far edge back over the top so the two edges overlap.

Look for: The rice is fully enclosed and the packet rests against the far lip.

Turn out onto the plate

Hold a warm plate upright against the far edge of the pan. Turn the pan over in one smooth movement so the omurice drops onto the plate seam-side down. Hold the handle with a cloth or oven glove.

Look for: The omurice lands seam-side down in one piece.

Shape and finish

Lay a clean paper towel over the top and press the sides and ends gently with your hands to tidy the shape. Remove the towel and add the finishing ketchup.

Safety: The egg wrapper is only half set when you fold it and can stay undercooked; the hot rice does not finish cooking it. Use pasteurised eggs if available. Children, pregnant people, older adults and people with weakened immunity should cook the sheet in step 4 until the top is fully set, skip the damp cloth, and fold it with extra care, since a set sheet tears more easily. Use cooked rice refrigerated promptly and kept cold until cooking. Reheat until steaming throughout and serve at once; do not use rice left warm for hours.

Look for: A smooth oval with tapered ends, like a rugby ball.