Oyakodon is a Japanese dish in which chicken and egg are simmered together in a sauce and then served over rice. For my version, I used boneless chicken leg which I roasted in the oven to give it a crispy, golden brown crust and I served it with brown rice as a low-GI option.
A good dashi stock will be required for this recipe and I highly recommend that you prepare the stock from scratch instead of using instant dashi powder. It’s really easy to make and only 3 ingredients are needed – 1 small piece kombu (dried kelp) about 5cm x 10cm, 1 cup katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and 1250ml of water.
Dried kelp and bonito flakes are readily available from Japanese supermarkets here in Singapore.
Soak the kombu in the water for about 30 minutes and then bring it to a boil. Once boiling, discard the kombu and add in the katsuobushi. Bring to another boil and turn off the heat to allow the katsuobushi to steep in the stock. Strain the stock once the katsuobushi sinks to the bottom. You can use this stock for miso soup, noodle broth or any recipes that call for chicken or vegetable stock too.
Oyakodon Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 pcs boneless chicken leg with skin on
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, peeled & sliced
150ml dashi stock
1 1/2 tbsp mirin
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp Japanese light soy sauce
4 eggs, lightly beaten in separate bowls (1 egg per bowl)
2-pax portion of steamed rice
spring onions as garnish
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C with fan. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and roast in the oven for 20 minutes till golden brown. Remove from oven and leave aside to cool slightly. Slice the chicken leg into pieces.
3. In a non-stick pan, combine dashi stock, mirin, dark and light soy sauces and bring to a boil. Add onions and reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes. Split this onion mixture into 2 equal portions (separate sauce pans).
4. Pour 1 egg into 1 portion of the onion mixture and cover lid for 30 seconds. Pour in 2nd egg and cover for a few seconds.
5. Scoop rice onto a serving bowl and arrange the chicken on top. Pour the egg mixture over and garnish with spring onions.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the remaining portion of onion mixture.