Soboro Don (Japanese Minced Chicken Bowl)

Recipe for Soboro Don (そぼろ丼)- A Japanese minced chicken bowl with steamed rice, seasoned ground chicken, scrambled eggs, spinach, carrots, and a little pickled ginger.

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A Soboro Don (short for Donburi- rice bowl), in its simplest form, is a minced chicken bowl with a few possible garnishes. It is generally paired with scrambled eggs (iritamago, 炒り卵), side by side, and often with a green vegetable to make a Three Color Soboro Don (三色そぼろ丼).

The trick to this dish is to get the chicken and eggs in as small pieces as possible. Constantly scrambling with chopsticks during cooking helps to get that notable texture.

I used blanched spinach seasoned lightly with soy sauce, sugar, and sesame seeds for the green, but peas, sliced green beans, or green onions are popular. I also topped the Donburi with seasoned carrots since they are a favorite with the kids. If desired, ground turkey can be used as a substitute for chicken.

Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking rice wine. I use hon-mirin (true mirin) in recipes calling for mirin. I have been able to find it in Asian food markets and Whole Foods. Many grocery stores have aji-mirin, but those usually have a lot of additives. Other types of mirin are shio-mirin (includes salt) and shin-mirin (very little alcohol). It is also available on Amazon: Eden Foods Mirin Rice Cooking Wine.

Pickled ginger (beni shōga, 紅生姜) is made by pickling thin strips of ginger in a plum vinegar (赤梅酢). I have been able to locate it in small jars in the Asian section of larger grocery stores and the refrigerated section of my local Asian food market (featuring Korean and Japanese products). Many companies use artificial coloring to get that distinctive red color.

Looking for more Japanese rice-based recipes? Try Hayashi Raisu (Japanese Beef Stew), Cat Bento, and Takoraisu (Okinawan Taco Rice).

Soboro Don (Japanese Minced Chicken Bowl) Recipe

Adapted from The Just Bento Cookbook

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Soboro Don (Japanese Minced Chicken Bowl)

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup sake
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Eggs:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 teaspoons sake optional
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Spinach:

• 10 ounces spinach
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon ground sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Carrots:

• 2 large carrots shredded
• 1/2 cup dashi
• 2 teaspoons mirin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Base:

• 4 cups steamed Japanese white rice
• Pickled ginger

Instructions

To cook the chicken:

1. Heat a wok or large saucepan over medium heat with the vegetable oil. Break up the chicken into the pan. Add the sake, mirin, chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and salt. Use a pair of chopsticks or a wooden spoon to continuously stir the chicken as it cooks, breaking it up into fine pieces. Continue stirring until only a little liquid remains to keep chicken moist. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

To make the eggs:

1. Clean the pan and place back over medium heat with vegetable oil. In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, sake, sugar, and salt. Add to the hot pan and stir continuously with chopsticks, breaking up the egg into tiny pieces, until cooked. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.

To make the spinach:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and cook briefly, just until bright green. Drain and rinse with cold water. 

2. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze any excess moisture from the spinach and toss with the soy sauce, sesame seeds, and sugar.

To make the carrots:

1. Clean the pan and place over medium high heat. Add the shredded carrots, dashi, mirin, salt, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 4 minutes.

To assemble:

1. Fill each bowl with rice and top with chicken, eggs, and spinach. Top with a little carrots and pickled ginger. Serve immediately.