Oyako Donburi with Chicken Katsu

Yummy yummy chicken-katsu, oyako-donburi! A japanese meal for anytime of the day. Also called, Oyako-don (Don is short for Donburi, which means Rice Bowl). 

And it is surprisingly easy to make. 

Here's my step-by-step pictures to prove it ;-)

Peel and slice half of an onion.  

 Clean and pat dry one or two chicken breasts.

Slice into katsu-size pieces

 Or however you want to slice it...

 Season with salt and pepper then set aside. Also heat some oil in a pan.

 Next, lightly scramble two or so eggs and set aside.

 Set aside a bowl of panko bread crumbs.

 Now your ready to make the chicken katsu!

 Grab a piece of chicken and lightly dip it in the egg.

 Quickly drop it in the panko and cover the entire piece.

 Shake off the excess.

And fry over medium heat. 

Keep in mind that if it splatters, it is too hot and needs to be at a lower heat.

Drain over paper towels.

 Cook all the chicken and set aside.

 Now for the Oyako-part... Mix together some dashi...

(Dashi is just a broth of water, kelp and bonito flakes)

  And some sugar...

and some soy sauce.

 Next, saute the onions until translucent.

 Pour the dashi-soy sauce mix over the onions.

 Oooh yeah baby

 Place the katsu over the onion-dashi mix.

 Crack a couple of eggs and lightly beat and drizzle the egg all over the katsu.

Let it set for a few minutes, covered.

 Add some green onions to garnish...

And wallah! Serve over hot rice and you got a homemade Chicken Katsu Oyako Donburi! 

Itadakimasu!

Printable Recipe Coming Soon

Making Dashi and Homemade Miso Soup

Dashi is a sea broth used in Japanese cooking. Its really easy to make! The dashi you find in the asian stores and/or asian aisles can be used but they are highly processed and sugared. 

Making homemade dashi is a better, healthier option. 

 All you really need is dried kelp (Konbu) and bonito flakes (Katsuo bushi). 

My cat is smelling Kelp (Konbu) for the first time.

 First cut the kelp to fit in a pan of water. Soak the kelp at least 15 minutes or overnight. 

 Then, simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Bring the pot to almost a boil.

Remove the kombu (I forgot this step) and add the bonito flakes (Katsuo bushi). As another option, you can use dried shiitake mushrooms.

Bring back to a boil and simmer 20 seconds (skimming along the way). Cover and let the bonito flakes sink. Then turn off the heat. 

 Strain the stock with a cheesecloth, coffee filter or whatever you have.

 And there you have it! 

Easy peesy homemade dashi.

I like to store the extra dashi in Mason jars and refridgerate up to a week. 

As for the leftover Konbu or kelp...

 don't throw it away!

Slice them into thin pieces and make a knot. Then stir fry them or just reuse the kelp again for another or a stronger dashi. 

Now, what to do with dashi? 

Make Miso soup

or 

Oyako Donburi

or 

Udon
or
Other Japanese dishes but those are my favorites.

 For Miso soup, I wanted to add tofu but I ran out of it so I peeled, and thinly sliced some daikon (Turnip or white radish). 

 Add 1 Tbsp of miso paste to the broth.

 Drop it all in the dashi stock.

 Add anything you want. Here I added green onions.

 Just for fun, I chopped some Korean nori and added it as a garnish. 

For the other one, I dropped in some left over salmon made the night before. 

Ahhh 

Gochisosama deshita.

Crispy Brussel Sprout Chips

One of my favorite restaurants right now is Gyu-Kaku. The one in Windward Mall really surprised me with their Brussel Sprout Fries.

I want to like brussel sprouts so I gave it a try... And I... seriously... fell in love.

Gyu-Kaku Brussel Sprout Fries

I came up with a copy-cat recipe with my own spin on it. 

So enjoy! 

I know I did.

Ok. Start by cleaning the brussel sprouts, then pat them dry. Chop the ends off. And peel or cut them into thin slices. Its up to you. I did them both ways.

 Also you may choose between olive oil....

 Or coconut oil. I made them side by side to compare. 

 Add a little salt.

 And some freshly grounded pepper.

 On the left is the coconut oiled brussel sprouts. On the right is the olive oiled brussel sprouts.

 Line the sprouts on a baking sheet. Add more seasoning if desired. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, crispy and slightly fragrant. 400 degrees F.

In the meantime, make the sauce. 

To make the sauce, mix a tablespoon of mayonnaise with about a teaspoon of wasabi paste. 

 Combine it until its a smooth yellow-green-ish color.

 Gyu-Kaku restaurant added honey in their sauce (I didn't have honey so I used Agave.) I noticed the sweetness was a nice complement to the wasabi's spiciness and blended very well together. 

 The coconut oil flavor nearly disappeared and both (Olive oil and Coconut oil) came out practically the same. 

I was surprised that the coconut flavor cooked out and was undetected by my husband who doesn't like coconut oil.

Ok now to serve...
 Put the mayo-mixture in a snack-size ziplock bag.

Seal and cut the end tip off. 

 Squeeze the mixture evenly on the brussel chips bowls.

 Carefully pour ponzu from the sides.

And finally add furikake (rice seasoning) and serve. 

 Oi'shi!!! 

Ohhhhh.

After all that...

I still had left over unbaked brussel sprout leaves...

So, here's another version... 

 Add freshly grated parmesan cheese!

 Plop it on top.  

Add toasted almond slices and eat!

Notice the bacon... I like it better without.

Itadakimasu! (Japanese)

Bon Apetite! (French)

Enjoy! (American)

Grindz! (Hawaiian)