Recipe Breakfast in Japan: Oyakodon

Mountain Cat

Mountain Cat

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I derived this from J. Kenji Alt-Lopez's YouTube cooking videos he's putting up recently.

Apparently, the term "oyakodon" relates to "parent and child" - the name sounds like a derivative of a prescription painkiller, however. The parent is chicken, the child is the egg. (The egg in this case was laid by my friendly pet hen, Celeste.) For the chicken, I used a skinless, boneless chicken thigh from the supermarket, NOT from Celeste!.

Dashi is used in the recipe for full authenticity; however I lack dashi and wasn't about to make some up for breakfast. (Kenji used powdered dashi - I do prefer to make my own and thus didn't have either...)

This serves one, and as it doesn't lend itself to leftovers that is what I made. Scale up as desired.

Oyakodon
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup cooked sushi rice.
  • 1 skinless, boneless chicken thigh (or one half of a skinless boneless breast section).
  • 1 whole egg.
  • 1/4 medium white or yellow onion, chopped.
Liquids: total volume about 3 tablespoons worth:

  • Dashi - about 1.5 tablespoons liquid, or use the powder, and add either water to make 1.5 tablespoons, OR 1.5 tablespoons sake or mirin. (I used mirin.)
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, or gluten-free tamari.
  • 0.5 (additional?) tablespoons sake or mirin (or water).
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar (Kenji used more).
  • A dash of white ground pepper.
  • About a tablespoon of thin sliced leek or scallion
  • A dash more tamari.
  • One egg yolk, optional.
While the rice is cooking (if you aren't repurposing leftover rice, which you will probably want to sprinkle with water and re-heat that way...) prepare everything else:

Chicken - remove fat, and slice thinly so it cooks rapidly. Make small bits.

Onion: slice and then chop into small pieces.

Add chicken and onion to a lightly oiled small skillet - there is actually such a thing as an oyakodon skillet, but use what you can. Add the liquids that come to about 3 tablespoons worth volume, but keep some additional liquid near by should you need more.

Egg, beat lightly with a little of that dash of tamari, and most of the leek or scallion garnish. Set aside. Leave the yolk, if using, aside.

Cook the skillet contents on medium - medium high, loosely covering with foil or a lid, for about ten minutes, or until the chicken is DONE through. You'll stir periodically, and also watch the liquid volume - you don't want too much liquid nor do you want it all to evaporate Add a teaspoon or so of water as you go on.

Hopefully you've timed your rice to be done by now.

Add the beaten egg and stir into the chicken and onion. You can keep it loose or cook it egg-dry. I opted for a middle range.

Pour the rice into your serving bowl.

Add the yolk to the skillet, and gently break it. Both Kenji and I like runny yolks, so we only cooked this about 20 seconds more (if that). If you want yours harder or you don't trust your egg source, obviously cook this longer.

Pour all this over the rice in the serving bowl, allowing some of the yolk (if still runny) to drip into the rice. Top with the last of the garnish. Serve and eat. Chopsticks optional.

I think next time I make this, I'll add toasted sesame seeds over top.
 
I had to read this recipe carefully to understand it. It sounds more complicated than it is, I think. 'Tis often the way with recipes. As I understand it this is strips or small pieces of chicken cooked in tamari, mirin etc. Then the beaten egg (with a few additions) is added and sort of scrambled in the chicken, then topped with an egg yolk, cooked a little longer and the whole lot served over sushi rice.

Its certainly a rather unusual dish in Western terms. I'd be very tempted to add something green, like spring onions or chives, for colour contrast as much as anything.
 
Mountain Cat said:
View attachment 40877

I derived this from J. Kenji Alt-Lopez's YouTube cooking videos he's putting up recently.

Apparently, the term "oyakodon" relates to "parent and child" - the name sounds like a derivative of a prescription painkiller, however. The parent is chicken, the child is the egg. (The egg in this case was laid by my friendly pet hen, Celeste.) For the chicken, I used a skinless, boneless chicken thigh from the supermarket, NOT from Celeste!.

Dashi is used in the recipe for full authenticity; however I lack dashi and wasn't about to make some up for breakfast. (Kenji used powdered dashi - I do prefer to make my own and thus didn't have either...)

This serves one, and as it doesn't lend itself to leftovers that is what I made. Scale up as desired.

Oyakodon
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup cooked sushi rice.
  • 1 skinless, boneless chicken thigh (or one half of a skinless boneless breast section).
  • 1 whole egg.
  • 1/4 medium white or yellow onion, chopped.
Liquids: total volume about 3 tablespoons worth:

  • Dashi - about 1.5 tablespoons liquid, or use the powder, and add either water to make 1.5 tablespoons, OR 1.5 tablespoons sake or mirin. (I used mirin.)
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce, or gluten-free tamari.
  • 0.5 (additional?) tablespoons sake or mirin (or water).
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar (Kenji used more).
  • A dash of white ground pepper.
  • About a tablespoon of thin sliced leek or scallion
  • A dash more tamari.
  • One egg yolk, optional.
While the rice is cooking (if you aren't repurposing leftover rice, which you will probably want to sprinkle with water and re-heat that way...) prepare everything else:

Chicken - remove fat, and slice thinly so it cooks rapidly. Make small bits.

Onion: slice and then chop into small pieces.

Add chicken and onion to a lightly oiled small skillet - there is actually such a thing as an oyakodon skillet, but use what you can. Add the liquids that come to about 3 tablespoons worth volume, but keep some additional liquid near by should you need more.

Egg, beat lightly with a little of that dash of tamari, and most of the leek or scallion garnish. Set aside. Leave the yolk, if using, aside.

Cook the skillet contents on medium - medium high, loosely covering with foil or a lid, for about ten minutes, or until the chicken is DONE through. You'll stir periodically, and also watch the liquid volume - you don't want too much liquid nor do you want it all to evaporate Add a teaspoon or so of water as you go on.

Hopefully you've timed your rice to be done by now.

Add the beaten egg and stir into the chicken and onion. You can keep it loose or cook it egg-dry. I opted for a middle range.

Pour the rice into your serving bowl.

Add the yolk to the skillet, and gently break it. Both Kenji and I like runny yolks, so we only cooked this about 20 seconds more (if that). If you want yours harder or you don't trust your egg source, obviously cook this longer.

Pour all this over the rice in the serving bowl, allowing some of the yolk (if still runny) to drip into the rice. Top with the last of the garnish. Serve and eat. Chopsticks optional.

I think next time I make this, I'll add toasted sesame seeds over top.
Click to expand...

Sounds and looks interesting but I have a couple of questions:
1. What is Dashi?
2. What is Tamari?

I’ve read your recipe a couple of times but I can’t find explanation, or maybe I’m shamelessly missing them...
Maybe Celeste knows? 😂 (just a quip)
 
morning glory said:
I had to read this recipe carefully to understand it. It sounds more complicated than it is, I think. 'Tis often the way with recipes. As I understand it this is strips or small pieces of chicken cooked in tamari, mirin etc. Then the beaten egg (with a few additions) is added and sort of scrambled in the chicken, then topped with an egg yolk, cooked a little longer and the whole lot served over sushi rice.

Its certainly a rather unusual dish in Western terms. I'd be very tempted to add something green, like spring onions or chives, for colour contrast as much as anything.
Click to expand...

I was planning on using green onions to add the green to this... but a quick search through the fridge revealed that I'd eaten them all, already!

It does come together more simply than the details indicate.

MypinchofItaly said:
Sounds and looks interesting but I have a couple of questions:
1. What is Dashi?
2. What is Tamari?

I’ve read your recipe a couple of times but I can’t find explanation, or maybe I’m shamelessly missing them...
Maybe Celeste knows? 😂 (just a quip)
Click to expand...

Tamari is simply a type of soy sauce made without wheat.

Dashi is a Japanese soup base which they use for just about anything requiring a soup base, which can be made either with 1) bonito (chipped dried fish flakes - I forget the name of the specific fish they use) and kombu seaweed. OR for vegetarian/vegan, 2) use dried shiitake with kombu. They are simmered together for awhile and the material is strained off, allowing the stock to remain for cooking use.

I'm sure the powdered stuff is dehydrated, and filled with "flavor enhancers" and preservatives I'm not interested in purchasing.
 
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