Cycle 15 – Item 270

1 (Tue) October 2024

Oyakodon – The Breakthrough

3.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

One of my all-time favorite dishes, oyakodon has been featured in 13 prior posts (see most recently 15.060 Oyakodon), 6 by me, plus countless more occasions that have gone undocumented (e.g., Sunday lunch).

However, I’ve never succeeded in making a proper oyakodon.  From the first (see 8.341 Oyakodon), to the most recent (see 13.099 Oyakodon), something always goes wrong, texturally, resulting in the dish being too wet or too dry or too crumbly or too mushy.  The flavor is there, so the outcome is generally okay once everything is mashed together with the rice.  But at the outset, it doesn’t look very appealing.

But tonight, I took several critical steps towards getting it right.  Adapting tips from the website justonecookbook.com (see Oyakodon): 1) the egg whites were separated from the yolks, ensuring that the cooked eggs would show a clearly defined swirl; 2) the whites were beaten, such that they’d cook evenly and smoothly; 3) half of the yolks were beaten, and the others were kept intact, to be served on top of the finished donburi; 4) the 4 servings were cooked in 2 separate batches, side by side, both to facilitate consistent cooking temperature and to speed up the entire process.

Turned out great.  The sauce remained in the bottom of the pan, immediately soaking into the rice when plated.  Meanwhile, the top held together in a loose yet firm layer, providing a pleasant cohesiveness in every bite.  The whole egg yolk added an extra dimension of creaminess throughout.  Finally.

(See all RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

(See all GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)