I am from Okayama, Japan. One of the popular local foods in Okayama is ‘Ebimeshi’ (えびめし), Prawn Fried Rice, that is in blackish dark colour. You need the special ‘Ebimeshi Sauce’ to cook it, but it is impossible to get it in Melbourne where I live. I have been trying to make my own sauce using commonly available ingredients, but I couldn’t get the blackish dark colour until today. The key ingredient for my sauce is Dark Soy Sauce. Why haven’t I thought about it? This ‘Ebimeshi’ tastes a little different from the authentic one, but it is delicious and I am happy with it.

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Makes

1 Serving

Ingredients

1/4 Onion *finely chopped
1 small clove Garlic *finely chopped
80g shelled Prawns *thawed if frozen
1 tablespoon Oil OR Butter
1 serving (about 200g) warm Cooked Rice
1 Egg *read ‘Method 1’
Finely chopped Parsley

Sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce *I use Lea & Perrins
1 tablespoon Ketchup *I use Heinz Tomato Ketchup
1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Asian Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/4 teaspoon Curry Powder
1 pinch Salt

Method

1. Egg is a very nice addition to this dish. Today I cooked Egg into ‘Thin Omelette Strips’, but it can be Scrambled Egg OR Fried Egg.
2. Combine all the Sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste it and alter the flavour to suit your taste. You may wish to add more Curry Powder.
3. Heat Oil OR Butter in a frying pan over medium heat, cook Onion and Garlic for a minutes, add Prawns, and stir until Prawns are cooked.
4. Add warm Cooked Rice and the Sauce, and stir to combine.
5. Add the cooked Egg on top, sprinkle with some finely chopped Parsley, and enjoy.