ham rice — Japan

Ham rice pairs a mound of ketchup-seasoned fried rice with slices of pan-fried ham and, most often, a fried egg laid on top. It belongs to the yoshoku repertoire, plates built around Western ingredients like ketchup, butter and ham but cooked and seasoned in a distinctly Japanese way, and it is served as a single, complete plate rather than as separate components. It is reported from Japan, where it sits among everyday lunch dishes served in home kitchens, school cafeterias and casual diners, close cousins of the more famous omuraisu but without the wrapping of egg around the rice. It is the kind of dish assembled quickly from ingredients that keep well in the refrigerator. Chopped onion is softened in butter, then cooked rice is added and stirred until heated through. Ketchup and a splash of Worcestershire-style sauce are mixed in until the rice turns a light orange-red, and the mixture is seasoned with salt and pepper. Separately, ham slices are browned in butter, and an egg is fried until the white is set but the yolk stays soft. Both are placed on top of the mounded rice just before serving. Households vary the dish according to what is on hand: some add peas or diced carrot to the rice, others skip the fried egg and serve the rice with the ham simply diced and stirred through instead of laid on top. The ratio of ketchup to Worcestershire-style sauce also shifts the color and sharpness of the rice from one cook to the next.