Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl)

• servings: 2 servings
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp ginger (grated; from 1-inch, 2.5-cm knob) 1 2.5

½ lb ground chicken (or mince thigh meat with a knife or food processor; you can use a mix of breast and thigh meat, too)

1 Tbsp sake

1 Tbsp mirin

1½ Tbsp sugar (chicken soboro is normally sweet, but you can reduce the sugar by one-third if you prefer a less sweet taste)

2½ Tbsp soy sauce

3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)

1 Tbsp sugar (typically, the eggs are sweetened even more; reduce the sugar or skip if you prefer)

¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)

2 Tbsp green peas (cooked)

pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) (optional)

Directions

Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. Prepare 3 pairs of long cooking chopsticks. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.

To Cook the Ground Chicken

Grate the ginger (I use a ceramic grater). Measure 1 tsp ginger (grated).

In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the seasoned ground chicken: The grated ginger, ½ lb ground chicken, 1 Tbsp sake, 1 Tbsp mirin, 1½ Tbsp sugar, and 2½ Tbsp soy sauce.

Using 3 pairs of long cooking chopsticks, break up the ground meat into smaller bits and mix with the seasoning ingredients.

Now, bring the saucepan to the stove and set it on medium-low heat. Cook the ground chicken mixture, stirring constantly, until it‘s no longer pink.

Soon, the chicken will start to release its juices. Continue to cook until the liquid is almost gone. Turn off the heat and set it aside.

To Cook the Scrambled Eggs

Add 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell), 1 Tbsp sugar, and ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to a medium saucepan. Using 3 clean pairs of long cooking chopsticks (either a different set or the previous set that you washed clean), beat the egg mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook the egg mixture. Stir often to release the cooked egg from the bottom or edges of the saucepan and to keep the bright yellow color of the eggs.

Stir to break up the bigger pieces into smaller bits. Cook the eggs until they are no longer runny and are soft and fluffy. Once the eggs are done (don‘t overcook them!), set them aside.

To Assemble

Serve 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice in individual bowls. Put the ground chicken over half of the steamed rice and the scrambled eggs on the other half. I put 2 Tbsp green peas in the middle. Garnish with pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) on top, if you desire.

To Store

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days and in the freezer for a month.

Nutrition

• Calories: 575 kcal
• Total Fat: 28 g
• Saturated Fat: 16 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 284 mg
• Sodium: 861 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 45 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Total Sugars: 16 g
• Protein: 30 g