Billionaire businessman and head of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra has a thriving social media presence and often shares tidbits of his life and wisdom, but recently, he’s gained attention from a completely new audience when he posted a video of a Korean Tornado Omelette in all its glory.
Mahindra posted a video on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) showing a chef artfully twirling the omelette into its signature spiral shape and then draping it over a portion of fried rice. In the caption, he adds that his chef skills are limited to breakfast and brunch fare, but that this will be a useful addition to his cooking repertoire before joking “Wait…where are the chopsticks?”.
This isn’t the first time the Tornado Omelette has stolen hearts on social media it crops up every few years to win over more people with its simplicity and elegance. The dish is usually associated with Japanese cuisine but is rooted in Japanese Omurice
The word Omurice is a mash-up of the English words, omelette and rice, and is thought to have originated in a Western-style restaurant in Osaka in 1925. As per the legacy, a customer preferred to have his morning omelette with a side of rice, so the chef took it upon himself to create something new. He draped an omelette with a soft centre over the top of a portion of rice and drizzled it with tomato ketchup.
This trend quickly caught on and it’s become a staple of Japanese egg offerings along with the famous rolled omelette tamagoyaki which came a bit later. It’s usually served for breakfast and is has become a favourite bento box item. Though visually, it doesn’t feature the same swirled texture as the Omurice which when cut open revealed a velvety, oozing centre, there are many similar elements between the two.
The technique of pinching the omelette in the centre and rotating it as it cooks ensures that some parts of the egg that are trapped within the folds don’t completely cook through. When paired with the flavourful fried rice it adds a unique silkiness that is comparable to eating omurice.
There were many people in the comment section of Anand Mahindra’s video offering up their tips. Some suggested adding butter, ham, cheese, onions and a bevvy of other suggestions to liven up the taste further. Though it might take away from the traditional version of the Tornado Egg, it would definitely be an interesting experiment. Now all that remains is to wait and see if Anand Mahindra dons the chef’s hat for himself and let’s us see his plan in action.