Hypothetically, you may one day make a classic dish at home, and, after taking a small shortcut, end up with a dinner that tastes so good you can hardly even believe it, and are thus unable to stop eating it long after you become full, and are also unable to quench your thirst no matter how many glasses of water you drink. If this were to happen to you, I’d wager that the second ingredient listed on the shortcut you took was probably monosodium glutamate.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter. Oyakodon is delicious whether you make your own dashi broth (which is really not difficult), use the storebought variety, or use the storebought variety with MSG. To be honest, while I don’t believe that MSG necessarily makes food better and I don’t eat it regularly, I also don’t think it’s the end of the world if your oyakodon has a little help in that department. Whatever you do, I think you’re going to have a next-level Japanese-style chicken omelet on your hands (and in your stomach).
Donburi is a Japanese dish that means “bowl”, and it can come in a number of forms- often times it is sashimi with scallions and perhaps a sauce over rice, but this version is the one I like to go for when ordering Japanese food. The name “oyakodon” means “parent and child,” a reference to the chicken and egg. The combination of mirin, soy sauce, sake and dashi creates the most distinctive, savory flavor, and is combined with bite-sized chicken and onion pieces, and finally egg, to make something like a thin omelet, served over Japanese rice. Scallions, mitsuba leaves and a sprinkling of shichimi finish the dish.
There are a few ingredients here that may seem unfamiliar so I thought a little review might be in order:
Mirin– a rice wine that is a bit sweeter and lower in alcohol content than sake. It’s a fairly common ingredient in stir-fries and I have been able to find it in the Asian foods section of most grocery stores.
Sake– a rice wine that most of us probably have regretted drinking at one point or another. For cooking, make sure you ask for some advice at the liquor store- many sakes are only meant to be served cold and can’t stand being heated.
Shichimi- a spice mixture commonly found in Japanese food. It’s often called “seven spice powder” and contains red chili pepper, orange peel, sesame seeds, seaweed, ginger and Japanese pepper. I have found it in Chinatown but it’s also readily available online.
Mitsuba- a fresh herb that looks similar to cilantro or Italian parsley, with a clean flavor, a bit similar to chervil. I found mitsuba in Katagiri, the Japanese market in midtown but it may be difficult to source outside of a metropolitan area or Japanese community. It’s optional in this recipe and is oftentimes used as a garnish on dishes.
Dashi- a stock made from kotsuobushi (also known as bonito flakes, which are smoked and aged- have you seen the “Rotten” episode of “The Mind of a Chef”??) and kombu (kelp). If you want to make your own dashi, both of these ingredients are pretty readily available at well-stocked grocery stores. And if you want an instant dashi powder, there are definitely MSG free options out there.
Nori- more seaweed
I hope these ingredients don’t deter you from trying your hand at Japanese food- I’ve been astonished many times at how close I can come at home to making dishes I’ve grown to love in Japanese restaurants.
Ingredients
- 1lb onions, peeled
- 1lb boneless chicken legs or thighs, skinned and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1/2 cup dash
- 8 eggs
- 6 cups cooked Japanese white rice
- 1/4 mitsuba leaves (optional)
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion (optional)
- 1/4 cup crumbled nori (optional)
- Shichimi togarshi
Instructions
- Cut the onions in half lengthwise, from top to bottom (axis to axis). Cut each half into 1/4-inch slices, also cutting lengthwise.
- Combine the onions, chickens, mirin, soy sauce, sake and dashi in a saucepan and place over high heat. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the chicken cooks through. Mix the ingredients occasionally as they cook.
- To prepare the oyakodon one serving at a time, break 2 eggs into a bowl, and lightly beat the eggs, no more than 10 times. You want part of the yolk and whites to be lightly mixed, while other parts are still separated.
- Transfer one-fourth of the chicken mixture (about 1 1/2 cups chicken, onions, and broth- but not too much broth!) to a small skillet (6 inches works great). Place the skillet over high heat. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat so the broth is simmering.
- Pour three-fourths of the egg mixture over the chicken, onions and broth. Do not mix. Cook for about 1 minute, then add the remaining one-fourth egg over the ingredients in the skillet. Cover the skillet and cook for 30 seconds more. Turn off the heat and let the oyakodon rest, covered, for 1 minute. If you prefer the eggs cooked through, just pour all the eggs over the chicken, onions and broth at once. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 1 minute, covered.
- While the oyakodon is resting, scoop 1 1/2 cups of the cooked rice into a serving bowl. When the oyakodon is ready, uncover and slide the entire contents out of the skillet to rest on the rice. Tilt the skillet and use a spatula if necessary; the oyakodon should slide out easily. Garnish with the mitsuba, scallions and nori. Accent with the shichimi to taste. Serve immediately, and repeat this preparation for the remaining servings.
- To prepare all the servings at once, pour the entire chicken and onion mixture into a large skilled (an 11-inch cast-iron skillet works great). Follow the same instructions as above for runny or cooked-through eggs. Divide the cooked rice among 4 large bowls. Use a large serving spoon to scoop the oyakodon from the skillet and place over the rice. Garnish as desired.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/05/01/oyakodon/
May 2, 2014 at 11:07 am
I am looking forward to trying my hand at this recipe. Thank you for the run down on ingredients that are not so familiar.