Recipe: Make Adam Liaw’s classic Oyakodon

The playful name of this dish means ‘parent and child rice bowl’, which refers to the inclusion of chicken and egg together.

Adam says it’s best made in individual portions in specialised donburi pans of the same diameter as the bowl it is served in so that the set mixture can be slid on top of the rice, capturing all the juices.

Families will often make family-sized portions in larger pans and spoon the chicken mixture over bowls of rice.

Oyakodon
Serves: 1

Preparation: 5 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into 3 cm (1¼ in) pieces

1 teaspoon sake

2 eggs

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) dashi (stock), or chicken stock

1½ tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon sugar

½ small brown onion, sliced

salt, to season

370 g (13 oz/2 cups) cooked short-grain rice, to serve

mitsuba, kaiware (daikon sprouts),

sliced spring onions (scallions),

nori or other greens, to garnish

shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice), to serve

Method

1. Season the chicken with salt and the sake and set aside for a few minutes.

2. Beat the eggs together lightly to break up the whites, but don’t beat them completely – you still want to see some separation of the whites and yolks.

2. Place the dashi or chicken stock, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a small frying pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

4. Add the brown onion and simmer for 3 minutes, until the onion is softened.

5. Add the chicken, then cover and cook for a further 3 minutes.

6. Pour in the egg mixture, stir once or twice, then cover and cook for 2–3 minutes to allow the egg to set softly.

7. Place the cooked rice in a serving bowl and add the chicken and egg mixture on top.

8. Scatter with your choice of green garnish and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi to serve.

This is an edited extract from Asian Home Cooking by Adam Liaw published by Hardie Grant Books.