Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

• 2-3 pieces (120-150 g) of chicken thigh, skinless
• 1/2 tbsp sake
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp potato starch, optional
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 (50 g) onion
• 2 large eggs

Seasoning

• 1/4 – 1/3 cup dashi stock*
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp sugar

For Serving

• 1 portion (225-250 g) cooked rice
• 1/4 sheet of nori (or enough to cover the rice)
• 1-2 springs of mitsuba or scallions
• 1 egg yolk
• schimi togarashi
• Japanese sansho pepper

Oyakodon Pan / Small Pan Method

1. 1

   Remove excess fat and connective tissue from the chicken thigh using scissors or a knife for the best texture. Starting at the thickest part of the thigh, cut the chicken lengthwise into 2-3 cm width pieces, along the grain. Next, slice it at a right angle to the tendons using the sogi-giri method. Hold the knife at a slight angle (about 30-45 degrees) to the chicken and make thin, diagonal slices against the grain. Continue making these slices to create bite-sized pieces. Aim for each piece to be 2-3 cm x 2-3 cm and about 10-15 grams each. It doesn’t have to be precise but try to slice them evenly so they cook at the same rate. Gently rub the sugar onto the chicken. Place it into a bowl and sprinkle with sake and sugar. Let it rest for 15-30 minutes (optional). Then toss in salt and potato starch.

2. 2

   Crack the eggs into a bowl. When mixing the eggs, mix by cutting the egg whites. Once the big egg whites are cut through, cut the egg yolks. Don’t whisk the eggs, instead, you should see swirls of yolks around the whites.

3. 3

   Thinly slice the onions top to root. Add dashi, mirin, sugar, onions and chicken to a cold oyakodon pan or small pan. Heat the pan over medium heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium low to low so its gently simmering.

4. 4

   Flip the chicken and add soy sauce and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. This allows the chicken to soak up the flavors of the dashi and mirin before the soy sauce is added. This step is optional, feel free to add the soy sauce in step 2 with the other seasonings.

5. 5

   Increase heat to medium. Drizzle 2/3 of the eggs with chopsticks breaking the stream in a circular potion starting from the middle outward. Do not pour too close to the edge as it cooks much faster in that area. Aim to add majority of the egg whites (they naturally fall out in larger amounts) as they take longer to cook. Reduce heat to medium low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for about 30 seconds or until you start seeing the egg whites just set. Pour in the remaining eggs and top with mitsuba if using (allows the mitsuba’s aroma to develop). Cook for another 10-20 seconds uncovered or until cooked to your liking (this will depend on heat level). Note that the eggs will continue to cook from the residual heat so cook it just under how you would like it served.

6. 6

   Prepare a bowl of rice. Ideally, you want to use a donburi that is the size of the pan. Add a piece of nori on top (optional, but it helps keep the eggs and seasonings from sliding through all the rice). Slide the contents onto a bowl of rice. Add the extra yolk here if desired. Top with green onions if using and serve with schimi and sansho pepper. Enjoy!!

Larger Frying Pan Method

1. 7

   If using a medium size pan, double the recipe and follow the same steps as above. Instead of sliding the  chicken and egg mixture, use a large flat spoon such as a casserole spoon to transfer the chicken and egg on top of the rice.