One of my family’s favorite dishes is Oyako Donburi, a chicken and egg dish served over rice. I learned this recipe from a Japanese graduate student who had been in the U.S. only a few months. My son and daughter, who are a quarter Japanese, and love all food from Japan, even the exotic things that most would consider an acquired taste (bring on the squid!), choose this over almost anything else.
But best of all, my husband and step kids, who are definitely not fans of the exotic, love Oyako Donburi as well.
This is a dish that would be a typical weekday meal for a Japanese family. I asked a young missionary from our church who comes from an American Japanese family, but whose mother regularly cooked Japanese food, over for dinner and served this dish. He was over the moon because he said it tasted just like what his mom would cook.
Be sure and serve this with Japanese sticky rice, not long-grain white rice. To make Japanese-style rice, buy the short or medium grain white rice (Hinode, sold in a yellow sack, is a popular brand). For every one cup of rice, add 1 2/3 cup water. Let the rice and water soak for an hour. Cover and bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat to low and let it just barely simmer for about fifteen to twenty minutes more.
Oyako Donburi
3/4 pound chicken breast, cut into one-inch strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced carrots
Vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbls. sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbls. sweet rice wine OR sake
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (if dried, soak in hot water until soft)
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Heat a little vegetable oil in a large skillet. Sauté the chicken, onion and carrots until the chicken is just cooked through. Drain any liquid.
Stir in the broth, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine and salt. Add mushrooms. Simmer for a few minutes. Pour the beaten eggs over the top of the mixture. Cover the pan and simmer until egg is completely cooked through, about 5 – 10 minutes. Sprinkle the green onions over the top.