While Japan boasts a world-renowned culinary scene from Tokyo's casual eateries to Osaka's fine dining, you don't need to travel overseas to enjoy authentic Japanese flavours. These classic rice bowl dishes offer delicious, accessible meals perfect for home cooking.
Khanh Ong's Japanese Rice Bowl Demonstration
On Friday, television personality Khanh Ong appeared on The Morning Show to showcase how to create these flavour-packed Japanese rice bowls. The recipes provide straightforward methods for preparing two beloved dishes that capture the essence of Japanese comfort food.
Gyudon: Japanese Beef and Onion Rice Bowl
This savoury beef bowl combines thinly sliced meat with sweet onions in a rich sauce. The dish comes together quickly while delivering complex flavours.
Ingredients:
- 400g thinly sliced beef (hotpot or shabu-style)
- 1 large brown onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups cooked Japanese rice
Sauce:
- ½ cup dashi stock (or water with ½ tsp dashi powder)
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1–2 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
Optional Toppings:
- 2 soft-cooked or onsen eggs
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- Beni shoga (red pickled ginger)
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Shichimi togarashi for spice
Method:
- Combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a pan. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add sliced onion and simmer for 5–7 minutes until softened and slightly sweetened.
- Reduce heat to low-medium and add beef slices, spreading them evenly to prevent clumping.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes until just cooked through. Avoid overcooking to prevent toughness.
- Spoon hot rice into bowls, top with beef and onions, then drizzle with extra sauce from the pan.
- Add optional toppings like egg, spring onion, pickled ginger and shichimi togarashi if desired.
Chef's Notes: For particularly fatty beef, you can skim excess fat from the sauce before serving. To enhance umami flavour, add a small splash of soy sauce at the very end of cooking.
Oyakodon: Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl
This comforting dish features tender chicken and softly set eggs in a delicate broth, creating a satisfying one-bowl meal.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked Japanese rice
- 300g chicken thigh fillets, sliced bite-sized
- 1 small brown onion, thinly sliced
- 2–3 eggs
- 1 spring onion, sliced (optional)
Sauce:
- ½ cup dashi stock (or water with ½ tsp dashi powder)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar
Optional Toppings:
- Shichimi togarashi
- Mitsuba (Japanese parsley) or additional spring onions
Method:
- Combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a pan over medium heat.
- Add onion and simmer for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add chicken pieces and simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring gently, until fully cooked.
- Lightly beat eggs in a bowl, maintaining some separation between whites and yolks.
- Pour eggs over chicken and onions in a thin stream.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 1-2 minutes until eggs are just set but still slightly runny.
- Spoon rice into bowls, top with chicken and egg mixture, and pour over some sauce from the pan.
- Garnish with spring onion and shichimi togarashi if desired.
Chef's Notes: For a custard-like texture, cook the eggs over lower heat. For firmer eggs, extend cooking time by approximately 30 seconds, but avoid overcooking which can make the dish dry.
These Japanese rice bowl recipes demonstrate how accessible authentic Japanese cooking can be for home chefs. With straightforward techniques and readily available ingredients, you can recreate restaurant-quality dishes in your own kitchen.
