Oyakodon

Oyakodon is a classic comfort food of Japanese home cooking. Tender pieces of chicken, onions, and eggs are simmered in an umami-rich sauce and then poured over a bowl of fluffy steamed rice. Simple, delicious, and utterly comforting, this is the kind of one-bowl meal you can cook in less than 30 minutes!

RECIPE:

• ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g; peeled)
• 10 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (the weight of a thigh varies: You need 1 or 2 thighs for 2 servings; if a thigh weighs 5-6 oz or 142-170 g, use two pieces; I used one 10-oz thigh for this recipe)
• 1 Tbsp sake (for marinating the chicken; sake helps to remove the chicken's gamey odor; you can also use Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, or otherwise, skip it)
• 3-4 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (1½ to 2 eggs per person is standard; at room temperature)

For the Seasonings

• ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more) (using good, flavorful dashi is very important in this recipe!)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 2 tsp sugar

For Serving

1. 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (1½ rice cooker cups (180 ml x 1.5 = 270 ml) yield roughly 2 donburi servings; see how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe)
2. 4 sprigs mitsuba (Japanese parsley) (or green onion/scallion)
3. shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) (optional, if you like spicy)
4. Japanese sansho pepper (optional, if you like pepper fragrance)
5. Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments a