Oyako-don

Photo by Masayoshi-san

We belong to an international club here in town. Anyone can join, and the aim of the group is to explore different cultures and languages and make friends from around the world. Every few months we get together and hold cooking classes for the community. We take turns alternating between American and Japanese recipes. Most recently we made oyako-don, which is a rice bowl dish that is very quick and simple to make. One of the main ingredients in the sauce may be quite difficult to find in America, but you could substitute soy sauce in its place.



Here is what you'll need!

-Rice
-1 egg
-Chicken (you can use a breast or a thigh, whatever you prefer)
-1/4 of an onion
-Handful of mitsuba (it's a Japanese green, but you can use basil, parsley, spinach, or kale)

Sauce:
-3 parts mentsuyu (this is where you can substitute soy sauce)
-1 part sugar
-1 part sake

Combine your three sauce ingredients in a pan and simmer until sugar is dissolved and it's cooked through. While that's simmering, slice up your onion and chop your greens. Cut the chicken into very thin bite size pieces (no more than 1/4 inch thick). You can also go ahead and prepare your rice and set it aside. When the sauce is ready, add 1/4 cup of it to a skillet (you can store the rest of the sauce for later use) and add the chicken and onions. Simmer together until chicken is done. Once the chicken is cooked, beat the egg in a bowl and pour over the contents of the skillet, then sprinkle your greens over that. Cover the skillet and let cook for a couple minutes. And that's it! Dish up some rice in a bowl and spoon the oyako-don over the rice and you're ready to eat. It's so yummy and I was surprised at how sweet it is.
You can save the extra sauce to use in oyako-don again, or in other dishes. You could add it to any savory recipe you like, even soups and stews.

Photo by Masayoshi-san

Photo by Masayoshi-san