Haguruma, Japanese Ketchup, 500g
Japanese tomato ketchup from Haguruma, for omurice, Napolitan and chicken rice.
In Japanese kitchens ketchup is a cooking seasoning, not just a table sauce. It seasons the chicken rice inside omurice, coats spaghetti Napolitan and goes into the pan sauce for hambagu. This is Haguruma's tomato ketchup (ハグルマ トマトケチャップ) in a squeeze bottle, ready for the pass or the table.
Why Chefs Choose This
- Built for yoshoku: the seasoning Japanese Western-style dishes are built on.
- Cooks down well: reduces in the pan to a glossy coating for rice and pasta.
- Squeeze bottle: easy portion control and clean lines across an omurice.
- Japanese maker: made in Japan by Haguruma.
How to Use
- Omurice: fry rice with chicken, onion and ketchup, wrap it in a thin omelette and finish with a line of ketchup on top.
- Spaghetti Napolitan: toss spaghetti with sausage or ham, onion, green pepper and ketchup in a hot pan.
- Hambagu sauce: simmer with tonkatsu sauce in the pan juices after frying a Japanese hamburg steak.
- Everyday: with chips, karaage, sausages and eggs.
Yoshoku (洋食, Western food) is Japan's own take on European dishes, which grew from the late nineteenth century into a cuisine of its own, and ketchup (ケチャップ) is one of its core seasonings. Omurice (オムライス), ketchup-seasoned chicken rice wrapped in an omelette, and spaghetti Napolitan (ナポリタン) are both built on it, and both are staples of Japanese cafés, diners and family kitchens. This ketchup is made in Japan by Haguruma (ハグルマ).
Learn more: Japanese Sauces
Pairs with: Kewpie mayonnaise, Bull-Dog tonkatsu sauce and Otafuku okonomi sauce.
What does Japanese ketchup taste like?
Tomato first, then sweetness and a clean vinegar tang. Cold, it is a straightforward table ketchup. Its real job shows in the pan: cooked into rice or pasta for a minute or two, the raw edge softens and the tomato turns rich and slightly caramelised, which is the flavour of omurice and Napolitan. Ketchups vary in sweetness and acidity from brand to brand, so taste it before swapping it one for one into a recipe built on another.
Product Details
| Type | Tomato ketchup (トマトケチャップ) |
| Brand | Haguruma (ハグルマ) |
| Origin | Japan |
| Format | Squeeze bottle |
| Best Used As | Omurice, spaghetti Napolitan, chicken rice, hambagu sauce and as a table sauce |
What is omurice?
Omurice is a Japanese yoshoku dish: rice fried with chicken, onion and ketchup, wrapped in or topped with a thin omelette, then finished with more ketchup or a demi-glace sauce. It is a café and family classic in Japan. The ketchup does two jobs, seasoning the rice and dressing the top, so the flavour of the ketchup matters more than it does in most dishes.
Can I use it like normal ketchup?
Yes. It works on chips, sausages, eggs and burgers like any tomato ketchup. Where it earns its place is in Japanese yoshoku cooking, where ketchup is cooked into the dish rather than served beside it. If you are following a Japanese recipe for omurice or Napolitan, a Japanese ketchup gets you closest to the flavour the recipe intends.
How should I store ketchup after opening?
Keep it in the fridge once opened, with the cap clean and closed, and use it within the period the pack recommends. Unopened, store it somewhere cool and dry out of direct sunlight. Squeeze out any air before closing to help keep the colour and flavour.
SKU : S0059