Oyakodon: Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl

Oyako literally means parents and children in Japanese and is a reference to two of the dish's main ingredients: chicken and egg. Oyako is a donburi, also called a don, which means rice bowl. The chicken and eggs are simmered in a flavorful broth and then the mixture is spooned over bowls of steamed Japanese rice.

This is a traditional Japanese dish that has been around quite some time--it was first cooked at Tamahide, a Tokyo restaurant, in 1891. Now it is a popular menu item at Japanese diners. 

Dashi soup stock is a key ingredient in many Japanese soups including miso soup as well as many noodle dishes. It is made when water is boiled with edible kelp (kombu) and shavings of preserved, fermented skipjack tuna (katsoubushi). It is then strained to create the broth. Mirin, an essential Japanese condiment, is a rice wine similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content.