Oyako Donburi & La Fuji Mama

I have a friend. Well no, I have many friends, but today I’m going to tell you about a particular one. In fact, you might already know her. Her name is Rachael. She introduced me (formally) to Japanese cooking, and I love her for it. Well, I love her for many reasons, but introducing me to this dish is definitely one of those.

This dish is comforting, straightforward and absolutely delicious. My family raved over it. They want it again and they want it soon. I do too. Emphasis on soon. But back to Rachael. Rachael is La Fuji Mama and has the most adorable girls – Squirrel and Bug. Their eyes and smiles will steal your heart. They’ve stolen mine a million times over, even moreso when I had the privilege of watching them play with their mommy. Can you tell I love kids? Squirrel even showed me how she could eat her beans. From kilometers and kilometers away. That was precious. Goodness, they’re all adorable.

Rachael never stops giving. Bake sales to raise money for great causes, always egging others on, and when I asked for an inch, she gave me 3 miles. It’s just the person she is. The feeling of having her there with me as I made this donburi made it all the more wonderful. Maybe I can be there for you as you make it. Because it’s really good. We should never be afraid to step out of our boxes, especially when there are wonderful guides to show us the way.

So, I hope that you’ll give this a try. Or at least go check out Rachael’s site. You might just learn a thing or two. Either way, I’m sure that you’ll get a glimpse or two of Squirrel and Bug.  Between that, her gorgeous photos and all of the wonderful food, you should definitely check her out (think of it as a major Follow Friday :D).

Oyako Donburi
Slightly Adapted from At Home With Japanese Cooking by Elizabeth Andoh.
Ingredients
1 boned chicken breast, about 1/2 pound
1 small onion
2 cups dashi
4 tablespoons wheat-free tamari sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sake
4 eggs
1/3 cup chopped mitsuba (trefoil) or cilantro or watercress
3 cups hot rice (Japanese rice)

Steps
Remove all skin and fat from the chicken breast, slice it in half lengthwise and then slice into thin pieces slightly on the diagonal across the width. Peel and slice the onion thin on a vertical plane. Heat the stock in a small saucepan and season it with tamari, sugar and sake, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Then add the sliced chicken and onion to the seasoned broth. Cook it, uncovered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until the onions have wilted and the chicken is cooked through.

Beat the eggs very well, trying not to incorporate air while doing so. Pour the chicken, onions and broth into a skillet (6 – 8 inches is best, but larger will work fine too) and heat to simmering. Pour the well-beaten eggs into the center of the skillet and cook over medium heat until the edges begin to set. Simmer for 3 – 4 minutes and garnish the top with chopped mitsuba, coriander or watercress. Cook for another minute. Divide the omelet into 4 pieces.

Divide the hot cooked rice among 4 deep bowls. Place one quarter of the omelet on top of the rice in each bowl. Pour any seasoned broth that may remain in the skillet over the omelets. Serve immediately.

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I don’t have any more photos. Of the 3 or so I took before we dug in, only that one up top wasn’t blurry (okay, I put it in twice. I like multiple photos. Don’t shoot.).  But doesn’t it look delicious?  It’s pure comfort food.  Comfort food that’s good for you too.  It also tells a story.  This particular donburi represents the relationship between mother and child, as it contains both the chicken and the egg (I won’t ask you which one came first, but in this recipe, it’s the chicken).  So there you go.  I should probably mention that although it asks for dashi, we couldn’t find any (3 grocery stores), so we used a miso soup mix.  Although that’s probably nowhere near proper, it worked.  We loved it.  We’re making it again.

So tell me, have you ever made Japanese food?  If so, what?  (If not, try this.) (Actually, even if you have, try this.  My brother said it was better than omelets).

Now that I’m all done, you should go check out Rachael’s post.  She made the same dish as I :).

xoxo
Lauren

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