Japan: Oyakodon

Mariko Hamel

OYAKODON: JAPAN

In most Japanese households, a kitchen and Oyakodon come as a package. This simple yet delightfully tasty meal is a basic must in Japan. It is what all mothers cooked for their children when they were growing up, and it is what those children later on prepared for theirs as well. Although it is mainly composed of only rice, chicken, egg, onions, soy sauce and mirin sauce (a sweet rice wine), Oyakodon is one of the most common comfort foods that Japanese turn to. There is something about a hot hearty spoonful of Oyakodon that makes you feel warm inside. No one can deny it, the juiciness of the chicken from the mirin sauce and the fluffiness of the egg definitely satisfies a stomach every time. I myself, as a growing child, grinned with excitement whenever my mother announced that we were going to have Oyakodon for dinner. I would sometimes watch her crack the eggs, pour it over the chicken and listen to it sizzle in the pan. This dish’s amusing name equally never failed to make me smile. Oyakodon’s literal translation is ”parent and child”. It is fitting, for this meal’s main components are chicken (the parent) and eggs (the child). My mother and I always share a laugh when she comes to me and says, “We’re going to have mother-daughter for supper today!” Therefore, whether it is for the name of the dish, for the taste of it or simply for the habit of eating it, family members all over Japan never fail to gather around a table when Mother comes out of the kitchen with a steaming pot of Oyakodon.

THE RECIPE

·         Ingredients (To serve 3-4 people)

• ¼ cup of soy sauce ( found in most grocery stores nowadays)
• ¾ cup of chicken broth
• 1/3 cup of mirin (low-alcohol sweet rice wine, found in many Asian specialty grocery stores like “Kim Hoa” on Des Sources Blvd. in D.D.O, and “Miyamoto” on Victoria Street in Westmount)
• 2 medium-sized boneless and skinless chicken breasts
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups of steamed white rice
• 1 green onion
• ¼ teaspoon of brown sugar

·         Procedure

1. Prepare the ingredients of Oyakodon by cutting the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, chopping the onion into small thin slices, beating the 4 eggs in a separate bowl and cutting the green onions into very small pieces. The white rice should already be cooked or in the process of being cooked in a rice-cooker.
2. Put 3 tablespoons of water, the mirin sauce, the chicken stock, and the sugar in an 8 inch frying pan. Let the mixture come to a simmer at medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Then, add the onion slices and let it all simmer for about 2 minutes, or until the onions turn a golden color. 
3. Add the chicken and the soya sauce to this pan and reduce the heat to medium. Let everything simmer for ≈3 minutes and mix the chicken around ever so often. Wait until the chicken is fully cooked to proceed.
4. Pour the bowl of beaten eggs over the same frying pan, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 2 minute, or until the eggs are cooked. Be careful not to burn them. Then, turn off the heat and let everything sit for 3 minutes.
5. Finally, pour the contents of the pan over a bowl of steaming white rice and garnish the dish with a few chopped pieces of green onion to add flavor. The dish is now ready to enjoy.

* Oyakodon is a very basic dish that can easily be personalized if desired. Mushrooms, garlic, peppers, beef, and sake are just a few examples of ingredients that can be added to heighten the taste of the meal.

Itadakimasu !

Source

http://www.lafujimama.com/2010/05/oyakodon/