Japanese Chicken Egg Dish over Rice

I seriously have to learn to take photos right when I serve a dish. However, to my defense we don't have a serving bowl {it is on my Christmas wishlist} and we usually do self-serve and just spoon it all out directly from the pot. I don't want to have more dishes to clean. So, I won't apologize for some funky looking pot/pan photo...I am poor and need to wait until the holidays. 

Anyways, this dish, known as Oyako-donburi, is one of my favorites. It basically means chicken and egg over rice. If you thought Sushi was the only Japanese dish there is {I am sure you did no such thing} then you were mistaken. There's more to this wonderful cuisine than raw fish, but I digress.

Years ago, and by that I mean like 14 years ago, my friend S. taught me how to make this dish in a few simple steps. Her version, turns out, is slightly different to other people's versions. I believe it depends on where you are from in Japan. She's from Nagasaki, and I learned that those from the Tokyo or even Osaka areas cook it differently. Needless to say, at some point I decided to make it my own way. So, I often refer to this dish as Selmanese. Yup, you read right. Selmanese.

So, here's what you need:

Rice

2 chicken breasts cut in small pieces

2-3 green onions {if you don't like green onions, then just use one}

1 white onion sliced in slices

1 egg per person {so if you are two people, then 2 eggs, etc}
Sugar
Salt

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon or more of mirin {sweet cooking wine}
Water

Here's what you do:

Cook rice separately {in a rice cooker or pot}

brown the chicken in a pot {either with a little oil or none; I use none, yes! no oil}
add white onions as well, cook 5-7 minutes on medium high
add soy sauce, stir
add mirin, stir
add a dash of sugar and salt, stir
let simmer for about 15 minutes
add more soy sauce or mirin to taste
add water if you feel like it just tastes too salty
slightly beat eggs and then pour over the meat-onion dish
let simmer for another 10 minutes or until you think it tastes well
{I usually cover the pot, and have it on medium-low}
sprinkle the green onions on top of everything
let is simmer for another minute or two

Put some rice into a bowl and then take some chicken/egg/onion mix out and put it on top of rice.
Voila.

That is it then. :)

Enjoy!

****

Years ago, my friend told me not to use water. If you look up recipes people use/recommend chicken broth as well. Most of my Japanese friends did never use chicken broth. I guess it all depends on personal taste. I was once told water would do the same. After all soy sauce is already salty, so why add chicken broth? The amount of water I add to the dish depends on my mood. Do I feel like a salty dish or a more watery kind. I like to have some sauce go with my dish. I don't want it dry. I don't want to choke on my chicken or beloved onion...so I made this dish to Selmanese...with a soy sauce sauce so to speak. My favorite person loved it and would not have it any other way!!!!

It is an easy dish, made in less than 30 minutes and fills you up real quick but won't make you feel stuffed!