Oyako-don: chicken & egg on rice

In Japanese “Oya” means parent, and “Ko” means child and hence the name for this chicken and egg dish! It is a very simple yet tasty meal and great for a quick lunch or dinner. 

Serves 1 preparation time 5 minutes, cooking time 8 minutes

Ingredients

1 bowl of cooked rice
1/4 onion, sliced
1/2 chicken thigh, cut into small pieces
100ml water
1/2 tsp dashi powder*
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp mirin
1/2 tsp cooking sake
1 egg, lightly beaten
Spring onion, chopped
Shredded nori (seaweed) to garnish

Method

Put dashi, soy sauce, mirin and cooking sake in a small saucepan with 100ml water, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and chicken, and cook for couple of minutes or until chicken is cooked though.

Increase heat to high. Pour egg and spring onion into the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 seconds, or until egg is cooked through. Slide the chicken and egg on top of the cooked rice.

Garnish with shredded nori.

* Dashi is a Japanese stock or broth made from kombu (dried kelp), bonito flakes (dried and smoked skipjack tuna that is shaved into thin flakes), anchovies/sardine (iriko or niboshi), or a combination of all, or two of them.

Sachie Nomura is a Japanese-born, New Zealand based chef who presents a popular cooking show on TV, named after her own highly successful cooking school, Sachie's Kitchen. She was taught to cook by her mother and aunt, and has since developed her own unique form of fusion cuisine.