If you really think about what oyako means, it’s actually kind of sad. Oyako means parent and child and “don” stands for donburi or rice bowl. Donburi dishes are usually a meal on their own and they don’t usually come with okazu (side dishes) or miso soup since the rice already comes with a topping. It’s usually eaten for lunch but I’ll make it for dinner every now and then.
This is the first of many donburi dishes to come.
Ingredients (2 servings)
270 grams (approx 0.5 lb) of chicken thigh with the skin and fat removed.
4 eggs (2 eggs per person, separated)
80 grams or a quarter of a medium onion sliced
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) of soy sauce
4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (70 ml) mirin
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (20 ml) dashijiru
mitsuba for garnish. (Substitute with cilantro or green onions if you can’t get mitsuba)
Directions
1) Make the rice. Electric Rice Cooker Instructions
2) Prep your ingredients. Cut the chicken into strips and the onion into thick slices.
3) Make the sauce and set it aside.
4) Stir fry the onions until they start to caramelize.
5) Add the chicken and stir fry until the there isn’t pink but it’s not done and add the sauce and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes or until the chicken and onions have absorbed some of the sauce.
6) Divide the chicken and onion mix into two servings and put them into small frying pans that are the same size as your bowl. You’ll make individual servings.
7) Put two eggs in a bowl and break the yolks and give it two quick swirls with chopsticks. Don’t beat the eggs.
8) Add 3/4 of the egg on top of the chicken and simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes.
9) Add the remaining egg and top it with mitsuba and cover. Allow it to steam for 2 minutes. The egg should be slightly runny on top. Raw egg or slightly raw egg is considered delicious. In this case there will be a thin layer of hanjyuku or half cooked egg on top.
10) Serve over a big bowl of rice.
Cook the onions until they start to caramelize.
Add the chicken and cook until it’s no longer pink.
Add the sauce and simmer for until the chicken and onions absorb sauce but don’t over cook chicken.
After simmering the chicken and onions should absorb the sauce.
Transfer to individual pans. If you’re only making one serving then start with this pan. Use a small frying pan since it’s easier to slide off in one piece. I don’t have one so I used a sauce pan.
Don’t mix the eggs too much. It should look like this.
Add 3/4 of the egg to the pan and simmer until the egg is almost done.
Add the remaining egg, the mitsuba, cover and turn off heat. Steam for about 2-3 minutes depending on how done you like your eggs.
Oyako done covered.
It looks perfect. Too bad I don’t have a small frying pan so I can take it out in once piece.
Served over rice.
Oyakodon Meal.
Naomi Kuwabara was born and raised in California but spent many summers in Japan growing up. She has spent time living in Hokkaido and Osaka, both meccas for Japanese cuisine. Her passion is cooking and sharing her experiences cooking Japanese food with others. Her blog Umamitopia is about her experiences cooking Japanese food. Her greatest inspirations are from her mother and grandmother. Her cooking adventures can be found at http://umamitopia.com.
