Oyakodon
, literally "parent-and-child donburi", is a
Japanese donburi, or
rice bowl dish, in which
chicken,
egg,
green onion, and other ingredients are all
simmered together in a
sauce and then served on top of a large bowl of
rice. The name of the dish,
parent and child donburi, is a
poetic reflection of the fact that both chicken and egg are used in the dish. In
Japan, oyakodon is often served in
soba restaurants and other traditional Japanese restaurants.
The donburi simmering sauce varies according to
season, ingredient, region, and
taste. A typical sauce might consist of
dashi flavored with
shoyu and
mirin. Proportions vary, but usually there is three to four times as much dashi as shoyu and mirin. For oyakodon, Tsuji (1980) recommends dashi flavored with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and
sugar.
To make oyakodon, cut chicken and other ingredients into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1/4 cup simmering sauce in a small
frying pan. Add chicken (and sliced yellow
onion, if desired) and simmer until chicken is cooked. Then add green onions and other ingredients. When all ingredients are cooked, slowly pour 1-2 lightly beaten eggs evenly over the whole dish. When eggs are nearly cooked (edges set), slide the topping from the pan onto hot cooked rice served in an oversized bowl. The hot rice will finish cooking the eggs.
Several other Japanese dishes pun on the parent-and-child theme of oyakodon. , literally "stranger bowl", is otherwise identical but replaces the chicken with
beef. A dish of
salmon and
roe served
raw over rice is known as .
Tsuji, Shizuo. (1980).
Japanese cooking: A simple art. Kodansha International/USA, New York. (ISBN 0-87011-399-2)
*
Japanese cuisine*
Donburi
