Spring Veggie Oyakodon

This Spring Veggie Oyakodon recipe is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. I am a fan of their eggs and all opinions expressed here are my own. I thank you, reader, for supporting the companies that keep this blog going and allow me to create new recipes. 

In my home, oyakodon screams comfort. On especially cool nights or after a long day, this is a dish I turn to. 

Literally translated as “parent-and-child donburi (rice bowl)”, oyakodon is typically made with chicken (the parent) and egg (the child). In this case, I’ve substituted the traditional egg and onion combo with a spring vegetable medley of sweet onion, snap peas, pea shoots, choho (a hybrid of komatsuna and tatsoi), carrots, green onion, and shimeji mushrooms. You can absolutely choose your own adventure, using this recipe as a base for the spring veggies you have on hand. The veggies are simmered in a blend of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and some sugar, so they’re packed with flavor instead of oil. Delicately cooked egg swirled in at the very end binds everything together and the dish is served over hot and fluffy steamed white rice. While I recommend cooking each serving separately, as it’s neater to serve, you can absolutely cook both serving in a medium pan and divide after cooking.

I’ve partnered with Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs to create this recipe for my Spring Veggie Oyakodon. I’ll be creating a few more recipes throughout the year using their delicious USDA Certified organic eggs. I always look for organic eggs and I love how you can actually see the difference in Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs--their yolks are a gorgeous orange color. And you can taste the difference too: they’re more flavorful because their hens are free to roam on pastures and they aren’t subjected to GMOs, antibiotics, or pesticides. In a dish like oyakodon, you need high-quality eggs and you’re gonna make a better dish when you use Pete and Gerry’s!

Spring Veggie Oyakodon

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

¾ teaspoon instant dashi powder (I use Hondashi)
1 cup hot water
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ sweet onion, thinly sliced
10 snap peas, thinly sliced on the bias
4-6 pea shoots, chopped
2 handfuls of choho (can be substituted with tatsoi, spinach, or a couple baby bok choy)
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
2 Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 cups of steamed white rice

FIX

To make the sauce, in a bowl or glass measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the instant dashi powder, hot water, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar, whisking until the dashi powder and sugar have dissolved. 

Place half of the onion, snap peas, pea shoots, choho, and a ⅓ of the green onions into a small saucepan (with shoulders and a well-fitting lid) and pour half of the seasoned dashi over the vegetables. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with the lid, simmering for 8 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender and still hold a little crunch. Quickly uncover the pan and pour half of the egg over the vegetable and broth mixture, immediately recovering and simmering for a minute or two, until the egg is just set, jiggles a little, but is not raw. 

Gently slide everything, including the broth, into a bowl with half of the steamed white rice. Top with a sprinkling of green onions. Repeat with the remaining half of the ingredients. Serve warm.