With the temperatures beginning to dip as we head into fall, it’s nice to have a steaming bowl of comfort for dinner. Of course, for me, comfort food often involves food of my childhood, which is usually Japanese or Hawaiian. But Oyako-don is something I never ate until I went to Japan as an adult. Literally translated, it means “Parent” (oya) “Child” (ko) “Rice Bowl” (don or donburi). The name refers to the chicken and egg in the dish. It’s kind of a cute and not-so-cute image at the same time. Regardless, this dish is so quick and easy to prepare and so tasty, it’s a nice weeknight choice for our family. Even my son, who doesn’t usually care for mushrooms, will gobble up the shiitake mushrooms. I use dried ones. The hot water used to reconstitute the shiitake is delicious and can be added into the simmering sauce for a heartier flavor.
Dried shiitake mushrooms can be found in Asian or health food stores.
After soaking in boiling water for about 10 minutes.
We are big onion eaters, so I use a lot – 2 1/2 to 3 cups of sliced onions. But you don’t have to use that much. Also, we like a lot of sauce so that it becomes almost soup-like at the end to eat with the rice. That too, you can adjust to your liking.
It all comes together in about 10-15 minutes!
See recipe below.
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This Saturday, we three will be at the Princeton Children’s Book Festival in Princeton, NJ. If you are in the area, please stop by! I will be signing TRUCK STOP with Anne Rockwell, and HUSH LITTLE MONSTER with my husband, Denis. The festival is from 11-4 at the Princeton Public Library. There will be a HUGE array of amazing authors and illustrators (Avi, Sophie Blackall, Brett Hilquist, Roxie Munroe, Paul O. Zelinsky are among the 80 there) signing books. Check it out here.
I’m hoping to make another batch of mini donuts. Remember these?
Oyako-don
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 chicken breast (about 10-ounces), sliced diagonally into thin strips
1 onion, sliced thinly (1 1/2 – 3 cups depending on your preference)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
hot cooked white rice
1. Bring a kettle of water to boil. Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Place a smaller bowl on top to weight the mushrooms down.
2. Meanwhile, prep chicken and onions.
3. Heat the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and water in a large skillet on the stove and dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil and add chicken and onions. At this point, the mushrooms are probably softened. Drain and reserve liquid. Slice the shiitake caps into thin slices and add to skillet. Depending on how soup-y you want your sauce, add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the shiitake liquid to the skillet. Turn heat down and simmer for about 3-5 minutes until chicken is cooked through and onions are softened.
4. Beat eggs in a bowl with a fork. Pour over skillet. Cover and turn down to low. Let cook a bit until the eggs are set — about 1-2 minutes.
To serve, mound piles of rice into deep bowls. Divide the skillet contents into fourths, and top each bowl with a portion of the chicken, onion, mushroom, egg mixture. Spoon extra sauce on top to your liking.
5.
