Oyako donburi: A simple guide

Image Source: Kokotaru.com

Japanese food culture dates back to the Yayoi era, when the Japanese started cultivating and harvesting rice. Aside from rice being the staple food of the country, the Japanese are also known for their use of chicken, vegetables, and whatever nature brings them.

One popular Japanese rice dish is oyako donburi, translated as follows:

• Oya means parent 
• Ko means child 
• Oyako is a single word for parent-and-child 
• Donburi is a big bowl of rice topped with other ingredients

Oyako donburi literally means “family meal.” It is composed of rice, chicken meat, eggs, onions, and/or mushrooms. Below is a version of this all-time favorite dish from Food.com

Image Source: SumoKitchen.com

Chicken-eggs mixture

• 12 ounces chicken breasts - deboned and skinned 
• 4 eggs - beaten 
• 4 shiitake mushrooms - dried 
• 1 onion - thinly sliced

Sauce

• 1/2 cup water 
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 3 tablespoons mirin (an essential rice wine used as condiment in Japanese cooking, similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content) 
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• 5 cups cooked rice

Procedure

1. After cutting the chicken breast into thin slices, soften the shiitake mushrooms in lukewarm water. Remove hard parts and cut mushrooms in halves. 
2. Mix all sauce ingredients in a skillet. Cover the skillet and bring to a boil. 
3. Add the chicken, mushrooms, and onion. Cook over medium heat until chicken is tender. That should take about 4 minutes. Add the eggs and cover. In low heat, cook and let the eggs set, for about a minute. 

Image Source: Bunrab.com

Serving suggestion

Put about a cup of rice in a large bowl topped with the chicken-egg mixture. Finish with the sauce before serving.

Rice has transcended from just being food for the Japanese to becoming a ‘way of life.’ This is why companies like JC Uni-tec and N.A. Sales Company Inc., help provide households and restaurants with kitchen equipment that will make cooking rice and Japanese dishes easy and hassle-free.  

This website shares more information about Japanese cuisine.