Oyako-don Improv

So, last night I was all ready to make some delicious Oyako-don for lunch. I had my new instant dashi that I had brought back from Vancouver, which I was very excited to try out.

But turns out that the onion I thought I still had was in fact imaginary. Now how do you make Oyako-don without onion?!

Improvise. What did I have in the fridge... carrots, bok choy, apples, cabbage... hmm, cabbage. Crunchy, a little bit sweet. It might work.

And work well it did.

Yum! The cabbage worked quite well--just remember to simmer it long enough that it becomes soft and absorbs the flavour of the sauce.

Here's the recipe:

• 1/2 chicken breast cut into small pieces
• 50 mL of stock (Chicken, Dashi, Beef--your choice)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 head of green cabbage ripped/torn into bite-size pieces
• 2 eggs
• parsley (optional)

1. Put the stock, soy sauce, cooking wine, and brown sugar together into a large pot and set on medium heat. Stir to dissolve, and then cover the pot.
2. Once the sauce starts simmering, add in the cabbage and cover again.
3. In the meantime, beat the two eggs lightly with chopsticks. You don't want them frothy, but just thoroughly mixed. Over-beating will ruin the texture of the egg after cooking.
4. When the cabbage softens, clear a space in the middle of the pot and add in the chicken. Cover again, but watch it carefully through the lid. Flip the pieces of chicken when they are mostly cooked through.
5. After the chicken is safe to eat, add in 2/3rds of the egg. Let it cook for 5 seconds, and then gently stir everything in the pot. Cover, and let cook for another 15 slow seconds.
6. Pour in the rest of the egg mixture and cover. Count to 5. Turn off the heat, and then let sit for 10 seconds.
7. Immediately pour onto hot rice. Garnish with parsley if you desire.

Makes 1 medium-large serving.