Tamago Donburi
Tamago Donburi
About this Recipe
This is a meatless version of the Japanese comfort dish oyakodon, or “parent-child rice bowl.” Instead of the combination of chicken and egg, it features custardy eggs with onions simmered in a dashi-based broth. Make each serving in a small pan and slide the eggs over a big bowl of steamed white rice.
The Benefits
The kombu in this dashi is an excellent source of iodine, which is critical to a functioning thyroid. Carotenoids and flavonoids, a duo of helpful plant compounds in seaweed, also help defend your cells from harmful free radicals.
Equipment: 8-inch skillet
Ingredients
2 SERVES
Dashi Base
- 1 cup (240 ml) dashi
- 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp (25 ml) soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp (25 ml) mirin
- 3/4 tsp sake
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of chile powder
Tamago Donburi
- 3 cups (375 g) cooked short-grain rice
- 1/2 onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 4 eggs
- 2 scallions, cut on the bias into thin slices
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Directions
-
Step 1
In a spouted measuring cup (large enough to hold 500ml/2 cups), mix the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, salt, and chile powder. -
Step 2
Pour half of the dashi base into a small (8-in) skillet or saucepan along with half of the onions, cover, and bring it just to a boil (there will be bubbles at the edges of the pan). Remove the cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes. -
Step 3
Meanwhile, crack 2 of the eggs into a bowl and mix with chopsticks (or a fork), until the eggs are broken up — the whites and yolks don’t need to be thoroughly blended (in fact, the resulting cooked eggs should be streaky). Crack the other 2 eggs into a separate bowl and mix. -
Step 4
Adjust the heat to medium, slowly pour in 2 of the eggs, starting at the edge of the pan and moving in a spiral to the center. Cover, and cook until just set, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle half of the scallions and half of the sesame seeds over the eggs. Remove from the heat. Put half of the cooked rice into a donburi (large) bowl. Gently slide the eggs over the top of the bowl of rice. -
Step 5
Cook the remaining onion and eggs the same way. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and sesame seeds. Put the remaining rice into another bowl and serve immediately.
Level Up: Make your own dashi. You can add the shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly, left over from preparing dashi to the eggs.
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About the author
Betty Hallock
Betty is a writer and editor: A journalist who formerly worked at the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Los Angeles magazine, she also has co-authored four cookbooks. Her favorite meal for as long as she can remember has been ochazuke — rice with tea and pickled plum.
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