This is what's called a donburi dish: a bowl of rice topped with something that gets mixed into the rice. There are a number of dishes that are similar, especially in Japanese fast food restaurants. And why not? They're quick to prepare, flavorful, and quite filling.
Another category this dish fits into is tamago-toji, which literally means 'bound with egg'. In this version, the egg mixture (which is seasoned predominantly with soy sauce and sugar) holds together small pieces of chicken and slices of onion. The egg is added at the last minute and is just barely simmered; most restaurants serve it while it's still a little undercooked. Once it's mixed with the hot rice, it finishes cooking but is still quite fresh-tasting. This combination of egg and chicken gives the dish it's odd name: "parent-and-child donburi".
OYAKO-DON adapted from Recipes of Japanese Cooking by Yuko Fujita & NAVI INTERNATIONAL
makes one serving
1 bowl of steamed white rice
50g of chicken thighs, diced into small pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 of a small onion, sliced
2 or 3 stalks of mitsuba
Sauce:
35ml of dashi (or water with a small shake of dashi powder)
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1-1/4 tbsp soy sauce
1. Trim off any excess fat from the chicken thigh, remove the skin, and cut into very small cubes. Peel the onions and slice very thinly. Cut the mitsuba--including the stems--into pieces about 2-3 cm long. [Mitsuba is not unlike fresh corriander, which would make an interesting substitute.]
2. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and place into a small frying pan. [In Japan, an oyako-nabe is used: it's essential a very small frying pan with an angled handle. The angle of the handle makes it easier to pour the contents over the bowl of rice. See an image of one here.]
3. Put a portion of hot rice into a donburi bowl. Any deep, steep-sided bowl will work.
4. Put the frying pan with the sauce over a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir gently to make sure the sugar dissolves fully, and then add the chicken and onion slices and simmer briefly. One the chicken looks mostly cooked through, gently pour the beaten eggs over the top. Pour in a circular spiral, starting at the outside and swirling to the center of the pan. Cover (although I rarely do), and shake the pan gently to evenly distribute the egg. Don't cook for too long: 30 seconds is about all it takes to just set the eggs. Some people like their eggs even runnier, while others like them more cooked. Adjust the time to suit your taste, but it shouldn't take more than a minute or so.
5. Carefully pour the contents of the frying pan over the rice in the donburi bowl, trying not to get rice stuck to the bottom of the frying pan. Scatter some of the mitsuba over the top, shake on a little shichimi powder, and serve immediately.
Notes:
- I really love this dish on its own with just a bowl of miso shiru and a bit of pickle, but lots of restaurants will also pair it with a bowl of udon.
- Other vegetables can also be added with the chicken and onion: small mushrooms (like shijimi or shiitake) are quite nice.
