Since 2011, Rika Yukimasa has hosted ‶Dining with the Chef,″ which is a big hit on Japan’s own NHK and appears on some PBS stations in the U.S. Many of her more than 50 cookbooks have been translated into Chinese and Korean.
But as far as we can tell, Rika’s Modern Japanese Home Cooking (Rizzoli, New York, 2020; $40) is her debut in English. (By the way, she went to college at the University of California/Berkeley before returning to Japan to work for advertising giant Dentsu.) The book came out at the end of March, but we’ve been distracted and just got around to it. Our loss! Here’s the link to buy it on Amazon.
Yukimasa’s subtitle for the book is ‶Simplifying Authentic Recipes.″ She’s very popular with Japanese working women who have a taste for traditional food but lack the time to, say, make dashi from scratch. It’s a natural step from streamlined cooking for a Japanese audience to streamlined Japanese home cooking for an international audience. We always consider local food one of the great lures of international travel, and Japan is one of our travel blind spots—so far.
In fact, like a lot of Americans who live on the East Coast, we’re only marginally familiar with Japanese cuisine. Yes, we know sushi and sashimi—and are unlikely to make it at home. And ramen is comfort food in every language. In recent years, a proliferation of izakayas (which serve beer and food) and yakitoris (which specialize in grilled skewers) has expanded American tastes beyond the sizzling cliches and theatrics of Benihana’s teppanyaki grills. Rika’s Modern Japanese Home Cooking might broaden those horizons a little more.
With permission, we’re reprinting her chicken and egg donburi recipe—including the recommended wine pairing. She notes that good sake is either hard to find or very expensive in North America, so she pairs her dishes with more familiar grape wines. It’s one more step to making Japanese cuisine that much more accessible and approachable for the uninitiated. Note: The rice recipe on page 150 is simply a recipe for steaming short-grained rice that clumps nicely for eating with chopsticks. The photo below is by Teruaki Kawakami, whose gorgeous photos make the book a feast for the eyes. The less elegant version at the top of the post is ours. FYI, there was no mirin in our cupboard, so we used a little cream sherry for a similar sweet and tangy flavor.
CHICKEN AND EGG RICE BOWL
Donburi, sometimes referred to simply as “don,” is a style of Japanese cooking in which ingredients are simmered in a soy-based sweet sauce and served atop a deep bowl of rice. One of the most popular donburi is oyakodon—rice topped with egg and chicken. This is as close as traditional Japanese cooking gets to “fast food.” Japan may seem like a costly travel destination, but Japanese donburi are reasonable meal options.
SERVES 4
WINE RECOMMENDATION: Choose a fruity Chardonnay or Loire Valley Chenin Blanc to balance the rich taste of meat and eggs
1 batch Steamed Japanese Short-Grain Rice
(page 150)
1 pound (450 grams) boneless chicken thighs, with or without skin
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) soy sauce
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) cooking sake
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) mirin
3 tablespoons (37 grams) sugar
1 cup (240 milliliters) water
1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch
(7-millimeter) slices
8 large eggs, separated
1 scallion, chopped
Chili pepper to taste
Cook the Steamed Japanese Short-Grain Rice following the recipe on page 150. (4 cups cooked rice.) Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.
Combine the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and water in a frying pan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the onion and simmer until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook until the meat is opaque and firm to the touch, about 3 additional minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the 8 egg whites in a small bowl until smooth. Gently beat the 8 egg yolks in another small bowl. Pour the egg whites over the simmering chicken mixture. When the whites are about halfway cooked, after 30 seconds, add the egg yolks and cook undisturbed until the yolks are slightly set but wobbly, about 30 additional seconds. Turn off the heat. Cover and let the yolks cook in the residual heat for about 1 minute.
Place the rice in a large bowl. Spoon the chicken and eggs over the rice and pour some of the sauce from the pan on top. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and chili pepper and serve hot.