After coming back from a trip to Osaka and Japan last month, I was super eager to utilise the dashi stock packets I procured from Kayanoya (known to be the best in town). What better way to utilise the dashi than to make an oyakodon?
The Oyakodon (親子丼) has always been a quintessential Japanese dish, as much as pizza is to the Italians. Literally translated, the Oyakodon means “parent-and-child rice bowl.”
Chicken (parent) and egg (child) plus onions are simmered together in a broth comprised of dashi, mirin and soy sauce then served on top of steamed rice. I personally like to add a bit of sake to mine as well when it comes to the broth base.
This dish is good on the go as it doesn’t require a long time to make (nor does it require much skill). My only advice is to not overcook the eggs and to choose thighs over breast (as it will be more tender). Perhaps marinade the chicken beforehand too to let the flavours sink in. While the final finishing touches often comprise of the spring onion as the garnish, feel free to vary a bit here and use coriander or dried seaweed strips.
Oyakodon (Chicken and egg rice bowl)
PREP TIME: 10 min | COOK TIME: 12 min | TOTAL TIME: 22 min | YIELDS: 2 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 250g of chicken thighs, cut into small bite sized pieces (~2 inches)
- 1 onion
- 150 ml dashi stock
- 1 tbsp of soy sauce
- 1 tbsp of mirin
- 1 tbsp of sake
- 2 eggs
- 500g of cooked rice
- 1 spring onion or coriander, chopped
METHOD:
- Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces to your liking. I recommend using thigh over breast for more tenderness.
- Slice onions finely.
- Prepare dashi stock. Mix with the soy sauce, mirin and sake in a separate bowl.
- Heat pan on medium heat. Once hot, add a dollop of oil and the onions. Follow shortly with the chicken pieces. After a minute of searing add the stock and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- In the last minute of cooking, beat two eggs in a separate bowl. Pour on top of the chicken and onion mixture in the pan and turn off the heat after a minute on low simmer.
- Serve on top of a bowl of white rice and garnish with the chopped spring onions, coriander or seaweed. Serve while warm.
