The Recipe for Tamago Don, Oyakodon and Katsudon

ABC Cooking Studio, which opened its first studio in Singapore in 2015, specializes in teaching people how to prepare Japanese cuisine. In this issue, we find out how to prepare tamago don.

Tamago means “egg”, and this sweet-tasting donburi (rice bowl) dish is eaten all around Japan, enjoyed by both younger and older generations. It’s quick to make, and simple enough for children to help their parents prepare it at home. Keeping to the family theme, one variant of the dish is oyako don (“parent and child”), which adds chicken, thus bringing together two generations of chick – the embryo and adult – in one recipe!

It’s a highly versatile dish, but in its most basic form, tamago don consists of scrambled eggs, possibly semi-raw (pasteurised eggs are recommended for optimum safety), onions and dashi stock. These are prepared separately, while the sauce comprises mirin and sake. All the ingredients are then served on top of cooked rice. For a more authentic taste, use Japanese rice instead of jasmine rice.

Advanced versions of the dish might include unagi (eel), mushrooms or pork. For those with more experimental leanings, cheddar or mozzarella cheese might also be used for an earthy bite. And while you’re at it, why not sneak in a nutrition boost? This is a perfect opportunity to add vegetables such as asparagus, tomatoes and cabbage – all these ingredients pair well with tamago don, and balance the sweetness of the dish.

Finally, to give your egg-centric recipe a pop of colour, simply sprinkle dark green shredded seaweed shavings on top. This will enhance the dish’s taste and visual appeal.

Here, we show you how to prepare this well-loved dish, and we hope you enjoy the results.

Tamago Don

Ingredients (2 servings)

1 1⁄2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sake
2 tsp soy sauce
70ml water
¼ tsp dashi powder
20g onion
2 eggs
1⁄2 egg white
150g Japanese rice
190ml water
Shredded seaweed

Directions

1. Cut onions into thin slices, and set aside.

2. In a saucepan, add mirin and sake on medium heat for a minute. Then, evaporate the alcohol for about 30 seconds.

3. Turn off heat and pour on soy sauce, water and dashi powder to make stock.

4. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and add egg white.

5. Pour the stock into a separate frying pan, and add shredded onions. Cook until onions become transparent.

6. Add 80% of the egg mixture to the stock and mix in.

7. After two minutes, add the rest of the egg mixture, with cheese (if preferred).

8. Pour into a bowl, then pour on to cooked rice.

9. Sprinkle shredded seaweed shavings on top.

Watch the video on how to make Tamago Don on Oishii TV!

Cheese and Tomato Oyakodon

Ingredients (1 serving)

120g chicken
60g sliced onion
1 tbsp dashi
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake or white wine
1 tbsp mirin
pinch of black pepper
½ cherry tomato, cut into five pieces
60g mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
300g Japanese rice
Basil to add proper amount

Directions

1. Add dashi, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and pepper to the chicken and onion in a frying pan. Boil at medium heat. Cook for around 4 minutes until chicken is 80% done.

2. Add cherry tomato pieces and mozzarella. Cook on medium heat for about 1 minute.

3. Slowly add 75% of the egg mixture into the pan. Cover pan with a lid and cook until nearly done.

4. Add remaining egg mixture and cover with lid again. Turn off heat and leave to cook for around five minutes.

5. Slide egg mixture on cooked rice, and decorate with basil.

Katsudon

Ingredients (2 servings)

120g x 2pcs pork (loin and cutlet)
80g onions
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

[Batter]
1 tbsp cake flour
½ egg
40g bread crumbs
salad oil as needed

[Sauce]
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
160 ml water
1 tsp bonito dashi powder
½ egg
300g Japanese rice (2 bowls)

Directions

1. Cut onions into thin slices.

2. Stick the tip of a kitchen knife between the lean meat and fat, and cut the tough sinew. Tenderise meat before seasoning with salt and black pepper.

3. Coat the meat with cake flour, egg mixture and bread crumbs in order.

4. Gently slide pork cutlets in 170°C oil, and cook through to the center. The meat is completely cooked when the crackling sound of bubbles decreases, and the cutlet floats to the top. Turn it over and fry until crispy. Remove and set on a rack to let excess oil drip off.

5. Let the pork cutlets cool, then cut into 5-6 equal pieces.

6. Whisk eggs before heating.

7. Put [1] and sauce ingredients in a new pan, then boil.

8. When onions soften, add all of [5] and add half portion of eggs. Gently cook while swirling the pan around.

9. Add the remaining egg portion. Turn off heat when eggs are half-cooked. Cover the lid and let it steam for a while.

10. Slide it on top of cooked rice and serve.

(Text Jonathan Evans / Recipes ABC Cooking Studio)