Mitsuba Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken Egg Rice Bowl with Mitsuba Herb)
Mitsuba oyakodon is a variation of Japan's classic chicken-and-egg rice bowl that adds mitsuba - Japanese wild parsley - as a finishing herb. Chicken thigh and sliced onion are simmered in a sauce of dashi, soy sauce, and mirin until the chicken is cooked through, then beaten eggs are poured over and left to set into a soft, barely-set custard. Mitsuba leaves are scattered on top just before the lid goes on, wilting slightly in the residual heat and releasing a clean, celery-like fragrance that lifts the richness of the egg and chicken. The whole mixture is slid over a bowl of steamed rice. It is everyday home cooking in Japan - quick to prepare yet dependent on timing, since overcooking the egg by even a minute changes the texture entirely.
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Instructions
- 1
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and thinly slice onion.
- 2
Bring dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar to a simmer.
- 3
Add onion for 3 minutes, then add chicken and cook through.
- 4
Lightly beat eggs and pour in two batches for a soft set.
- 5
Add mitsuba, cook 20 seconds, then turn off the heat.
- 6
Serve immediately over warm rice.
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