Omurice (Japanese Omelette Rice)

Method

1. 1Use cold, day-old rice and break the clumps apart with wet hands before you start. Freshly cooked rice is too moist and turns to paste once the ketchup goes in.
2. 2Dice the chicken small and finely chop the onion and mushrooms. Heat the oil with half the butter in a frying pan and cook the chicken and onion over medium-high heat until the chicken is just done, about 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms.
3. 3Push everything to one side, add the ketchup to the empty half of the pan and let it fry and darken for a minute before stirring it through. This cooks off the raw sharpness and is what makes the rice taste of tomato rather than of sauce.
4. 4Add the rice, peas, soy sauce, and pepper, and toss over high heat until every grain is coated and separate. Pack the rice into a bowl, then turn it out onto each plate as a neat oval mound.
5. 5Beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt, then pour them through a sieve — this catches the stringy white and is the difference between a smooth omelette and a patchy one.
6. 6Melt the rest of the butter in a clean non-stick pan over medium-low heat, pour in half the egg, and stir with chopsticks for a few seconds until it starts to set into soft curds. Let the base firm up while the top is still glossy and wet.
7. 7Slide the omelette over the rice mound, tucking the edges under, and let the residual heat finish it. Repeat for the second portion, then draw a line of ketchup over the top and serve at once.