Feeding a Crowd

Oyakodon

This is a dish that I ate while growing up and learned how to make from my mother, who immigrated from Japan. Oyakodon is a common dish in Japan, using staple foods and flavors to make something simple and delicious. It translates literally to "Parent-Child Bowl", representing the use of chicken and egg as the main ingredients. I've always found this name entertaining- but it's also something I've come to associate with living with a single mother, a parent and her child alone in America. Similarly, I've also joked that to make it without the chicken is the "college student bowl", the child without the parent, as I, the college student without my parent, can't afford to buy chicken all the time.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1/2 pack of chicken thighs
2 eggs
1 yellow onion
Soy sauce
Mirin
Sugar
Dashi powder
3 cups cooked white rice (or however much rice you want to eat)

Instructions:
1. Slice onion thinly and saute in a pan over medium-high heat until approaching soft.
2. Cut chicken into smaller pieces (according to preference) and place into the pan. Saute until cooked thoroughly.
3. Make dashi sauce by mixing soy sauce, mirin, sugar, dashi powder, and a little bit of water. I've always been told to mix these according to preference (rather, my mother refuses to tell me how she makes it, mostly because I don't think even she knows, and made me do my own trial and error), but as a rule of thumb the soy sauce and mirin are a 1:1 ratio, while the sugar and dashi powder are sprinkled in (again according to preference). Add in water to control the strength of the taste. You'll want about half a cup of dashi sauce (enough to coat the onions and chicken).
4. Beat the eggs and pour over everything. Lower the heat and cook until the egg is lightly cooked (I think softer/runnier egg is best, but cooked is often safer in the States- something we lament often).
5. Serve over rice and enjoy! Add some chopped green onions for a little color. 

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