Tuesday, 16 June 2009

• A Simple Japanese Dish: Oyakodon

  Since I'm half Japanese I was able to enjoy not only the American dishes my mom had learned to cook, but also many wonderful Japanese foods as well.  This has always been one of my favorites and it's really simple to make.  I'll post the actual recipe at the bottom, but first I'll kind of go step by step with photos so you can actually see how to do it.  We moved into an old house so my kitchen doesn't look too great, but I'm hoping to eventually get it remodeled.
  
  

  
  Image Source
  

  
  

  These are some of the Japanese ingredients you'll need.  Wal-Mart may carry some of them or you may be able to find them in the International section of the grocery store.  If no luck there, then an Oriental or Asian market will have them for sure.
  

  
  

  
  
  

  Hondashi or Dashi-no-Moto (this is like a fish stock kind of like our chicken bullion); Aji-Mirin (a sweet rice seasoning);  Sugar (oh well); and Soy Sauce (I use the one  with less sodium)    
  
  
  

   
  

  Japanese or short grain rice. Our Wal-Mart carries the Cal-Rose Brand in the International section.  My mom swears Nishiki is the best though.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Have you ever gone into a Japanese restaurant and the rice was tough and somewhat hard?  This is probably due to the fact that they're usually so busy that they don't have time to properly prepare the rice.  Here's a tip for making good Japanese rice: first, no matter what it says on the bag, after measuring your rice in the pan (I use a rice cooker) fill it about an inch or so above the rice level and swish your hand around to give it a good rinse; then pour out the water.  Repeat this four or five times (my mom always did it ten times).  Then fill the pan to the correct water level and put it in the cooker (don't turn it on).  Let the rice sit and soak for about 20 - 30 minutes.  Then turn it on to cook.  It will turn out perfectly, nice, and tender (remember though, Japanese rice is supposed to be a little sticky).
  

  
  

  Some other ingredients you'll need:
  

  
  

  
  

  About 6-8 chicken tenders cut up into pieces.  You can use dark meat if you want, enough to fit in your hand for each serving; this is two servings here (6-8 tenders).
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  1/3 to 1/2 of a large onion; sliced, then cut through the slices into thirds.
  
  And 2-3 Eggs (which I forgot to get a picture of)
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Combine your water, Hondashi, sugar, and soy sauce into a 10-inch skillet over med high heat.  Stir until everything is dissolved.    
  
  

  
  
  

  When liquid starts to boil, add the chicken and onion; stir to spread them out evenly. Cook until onion is tender and chicken is done.  While this is cooking you can beat the eggs.
  

  
  

  
  
  

  Pour egg over entire area, spreading it evenly with a spoon (I use long cooking chopsticks) as you pour.    
  
  

  
  
  

  After egg is spread over the surface, turn down the heat to med-med low and simmer until egg is cooked.
  
  

  
  
  

  If you like your eggs thoroughly cooked well-done, cover with a lid until egg is done.          
  

   
  
  

  Get two bowls of rice.  These are special Oyako Don bowls, but any bowl will do.
  
  

   
  
  

  Carefully remove large sections from the skillet with a pancake turner and lay them on top of the rice so it looks like this.  You can use a spoon to pour some of the liquid over the top so it soaks into the rice.  This is pretty plain looking because it's how I like mine.  You can use green onions instead of the regular, and you can sprinkle dried seaweed or whatever over the top.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Here's a fancier version from the cookbook I use.  You'll notice that the egg is still a little runny in some areas.  The green in the photo is seaweed and mitsuba (trefoil, whatever that is).
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  This is one of my favorite Japanese cookbooks (yes, it's written in English) and there's a photo of every finished product.  I've adapted the recipe a little to suit my own taste.  You can play around with the ingredients as well; you may like yours a little saltier or sweeter.  The adapted recipe is as follows:
  
  

  Oyako Donburi or Oyakodon for short
  
  

  3    cups short-grain rice, rinsed and then cooked
  
  Broth:
  1   cup   water
  1   tsp    Hondashi
  2   T       Sugar
  2   T       Aji-mirin
  3   T       soy Sauce
  6-8         boneless chicken breast tenderloins (or about 6 or so ounces of any chicken meat cut into bite-sized pieces.
  1/3 -1/2      sliced onions cut into thirds (or 4 green onions sliced diagonally)
  2-4         eggs
  
  A few sprigs of mitsuba (trefoil)
  Nori seaweed (toasted), chopped for garnish
  
  Heat the broth ingredients in a 10 inch skillet over med-med high heat until the sugar dissolves and liquid starts to boil.  Add the chicken and onions, and cook, turning chicken pieces over while occasionally stirring (about 3 minutes or so or until onion is tender and chicken looks done).  Beat the eggs and stir in over top to cover entire area.  Lower heat to med-low and cook until eggs are done.  Use a lid to speed up this process, but you may need to lower the heat a little more.  Have two bowls of steamed rice ready.  When egg is set or cooked how you like it, use a pancake turner to lift large sections to lay over top of rice.  Pour a little broth on top and add garnishes if desired.  You can also divide this to serve in smaller portions if you'd like. 
  
  Normally, this is cooked as a single serving (cut ingredients in half) and cooked in a small 6 inch skillet.  That way you can just slide the egg from the skillet directly onto the rice as it's the perfect size.
  
  Oyako in Japanese means parent and child.  In this dish the chicken is the parent and the egg is the child; that's why the dish is called Oyako Donburi or Oyakodon.  If you decide to try this please let me know what you think.  Enjoy!
  

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