LUCAS - Salsa Omurice with Bacon & Chorizo

Complexity: ★★★☆☆

In Mother 3, Lucas's default favourite food is omelettes. Rather than making a classic French omelette, I decided to make omurice, a Japanese-style omelette served atop rice! Since Mother 3 is still (unfortunately) a Japan-only game, but has an enduring cult following in the west, I felt like making some sort of yōshoku (a style of Japanese food influenced by western cooking) would be a good way to represent the theme of east and west.

I wanted to zest things up a little, so I decided to use Mexican salsa rice for my omurice. I was inspired to do this because one of Mother 3's playable characters is a monkey named Salsa! The salsa rice paired with the omelette gives this dish a sort of huevos rancheros vibe. Omurice is typically topped with a drizzle of ketchup – so I decided to make my own homemade chili ketchup! (I also thought it was nice how the red ketchup drizzle on the yellow omelette resembles Lucas’ red-and-yellow striped shirt!)

The secondary antagonist of EarthBound, Ness's nasty neighbour Porky Minch, goes on to become the main antagonist of Mother 3. Named "Porky" due to his rotund appearance, he embraces a pig-themed persona as the leader of the Pigmask Army. Mother 3 is brimming with pig puns, so I definitely wanted to incorporate some porcine products into this dish. Bacon is an obvious choice for an egg dish, and I also added some chorizo to stick with the Mexican flavour profile!

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INGREDIENTS

Chili Ketchup:

• 2 tsp neutral oil (eg: sunflower oil)

• ½ white onion, finely chopped

• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tsp grated ginger

• ½ tsp ancho chili powder

• ½ tsp celery salt

• ½ tsp cumin

• ½ tsp coriander

• ¼ tsp paprika

• ⅛ tsp allspice

• ⅛ tsp cloves

• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 ½ cups tomato, chopped (about 1-2 large tomatoes)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cinnamon stick

• ¼ cup water

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• ¼ cup brown sugar

Salsa Rice:

• 4 rashers of bacon, chopped

• 100g chorizo, sliced (mild or spicy depending on preference)

• ½ white onion, finely chopped

• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

• ¼ tsp cumin

• ¼ tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 cup tomato, chopped (about 1-2 large tomatoes)

• ¼ cup chicken broth

• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• ⅔ cup sweet corn kernels

• ½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 cups cooked rice

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Omelette:

• 4 large eggs (makes two omelettes, each made with 2 eggs each)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 1 scallion, finely chopped, for garnish

PREPARATION

For chili ketchup:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Fry onion for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic, ginger, and the spices, cook for a few minutes until fragrant.

2. Stir in tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Pour in chopped tomatoes and water. Add the bay leaf and cinnamon stick, cover and cook for at least an hour over medium-low heat (the longer you cook it, the more flavourful it will get!)

3. Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add tomato mixture to a blender along with vinegar, lime juice, and sugar. Blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

For salsa rice:

1. Cook bacon and chorizo in a large skillet until browned and crispy. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels with a slotted spoon.

2. Discard all but 1 tbsp of the bacon fat. Fry onions in the fat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and paprika, cook for a few minutes until fragrant.

3. Stir in tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, soy sauce, and lime juice. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan.

4. Add corn, beans, rice, and cilantro, mixing until thoroughly combined. Cook until the liquid is reduced/absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly:

1. Form a mound of the rice on a place in a "football" shape. Set aside.

2. For each omelette, whisk together two eggs and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

3. Grease a medium non-stick pan with oil. Pour in the egg and rapidly stir with chopsticks or a fork as the eggs begin to cook. Once small curds have formed and the eggs are custardy, allow to cook undisturbed until nearly fully set.

4. Flip onto the mound of rice, custardy side down. Using clean hands or a paper towel, tuck the edges under the rice. (Making the omelette can be tricky, but there are a few videos that show various methods. Use whichever technique is easiest for you!)

5. Drizzle with the spicy ketchup (or store-bought ketchup if you want to skip making ketchup from scratch) and sprinkle with green onions and extra cilantro if desired.