In the realm of Japanese cuisine, few dishes evoke the same sense of warmth and nostalgia as Oyakodon. Even its name, where the literal translation is parent and child rice bowl, conjures comfort. The parent and child actually refers to the juicy morsels of chicken and gently cooked eggs that form the heart of the dish. It all gets simmered together in a sweet and savory sauce and then served over perfectly steamed rice.  The result is a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts; with just a handful of ingredients and minimal preparation, it manages to deliver a depth of flavor that belies its humble origins.

Oyakodon is a dish that is home cooking at its core. Simple, tasty, fast, and affordable. Plus the ingredients are common enough that people generally have it on hand, even if you don’t cook Japanese food often. It’s been on our menu for almost 50 years. It’s definitely not a trendy item. I doubt you will find viral videos or gram worthy photos, but it stands the test of time. Finally, it tastes great when you make it and reheats well too. And if you’re not yet sold, it’s packed with protein and absolutely perfect for a weeknight meal, so let’s get into it.

Oyakodon Sauce

The first step to making Oyakodon (besides steaming your rice) is to whip up the sauce that gives its characteristic lightly sweet and savory flavor. If you have some of my Homemade Dashi on hand, this would be an excellent use for it. If you don’t, then you can use a dashi packet simmered in water for 10 minutes or instant dashi powder can be used instead. Mirin, sake, soy sauce, and a touch of sugar round out this easy but delectable sauce.

Making Oyakodon

Once the sauce is made, I prep the rest of the ingredients, starting with thinly slicing half an onion.

Slice the scallions thinly, on an angle. I do this for aesthetics. Minced scallion will work just fine. Half will be used while cooking the Oyakodon and the other half will be used as a garnish.

I like to use chicken thighs because they stay nice and juicy. I like to keep the chicken chunks large so they’re easy to pick out and taste.

When breaking up the eggs be careful not to beat them. We’re going for a cool marbling effect here, it adds lots of visual appeal to your final Oyakodon. Cut through the eggs 6-8 times. I’m using heirloom blue eggs which have a bold orange color and rich taste. Use the best chicken and eggs you can get your hands on as the simplicity of this dish relies on good quality ingredients.

Gather everything near your cooktop as once you start cooking it goes quite quickly. Plus you won’t forget to add an ingredient, which I know has happened to all of us.

One of the keys to this dish is cooking it slowly, which gives the proteins a chance to cook evenly without toughening up. Also, you’re looking to evaporate some of the sauce. Don’t try and rush this by cooking it on higher heat. Not only will it get rubbery, but the sauce will evaporate too quickly and be very salty.

Make sure while it’s cooking that everything is evenly distributed so when you’ve finished cooking this dish, there will be chicken and onions in every bite!

Japanese folks prefer a gently cooked, softly set egg, that’s runny. Fun fact: Japanese eggs are scrupulously checked and free of salmonella, which is why raw eggs are featured prominently in the cuisine. If you would prefer a harder set, you can put a lid on the pan and cook for another few minutes.

Time to Serve!

Once the egg is cooked to your liking, it’s time to dig into all this deliciousness. As you can see in the photo below, there should be plenty of sauce left in the pan. Once you scoop the omelet onto the rice, pour some of the sauce over the bowls.

I like my Oyakodon drenched in the delicious sauce, it’s SO good mixed with the rice, so I pour all of it.

Then I garnish it with the other half of the scallions and serve it with shichimi togarashi or sansho pepper on the side.

I hope you love this taste of classic Japanese home cooking as much as we do in my home. If you try it, we want to hear about it! Drop a comment or tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen.

Crave Japanese food all the time? Try some of our favorite dishes:

Chicken Curry

Yakimatsu

Beef Udon

Oyakodon

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Category: entrees
• Cuisine: japanese

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Ingredients

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• ½ large onion peeled
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8–10 ounces)
• 4 large eggs 

Sauce:

• ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock)* 
• 1 Tbsp sake 
• 2 Tbsps soy sauce
• 2 Tbsps mirin
• 1 tsp sugar

For Serving:

• 3–4 cups cooked short-grain rice  
• 2 Scallions thinly sliced on an angle 
• shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) or ground sansho pepper (optional)

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Instructions

Make the sauce:

1. Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake.
2. Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Set aside.

Make the dish:

1. Cut the onions thinly and set aside.
2. Trim the chicken of any fat or gristle.
3. Dice the chicken into large 1 ½ inch pieces.
4. Crack the eggs into a bowl and using a pair of chopsticks, cut through the egg whites and egg yolks 6-8 times so that the eggs look like a marbled pattern. Try not to whisk the eggs. You want to keep the eggs with a marbled yellow and white pattern.
5. Add the onions and the sauce to a medium 10” pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
6. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally so the chicken cooks evenly.
7. Make sure the chicken and onions are evenly distributed in the pan so your servings will have a good balance of meat and veg.
8. Slowly pour the eggs evenly over the simmering chicken and lower the heat to medium low.
9. Sprinkle half of the scallions evenly over the pan.
10. Cook the eggs for 3-4 minutes until the eggs are gently set, but still soft and a little runny. (Japanese people prefer their eggs undercooked. You can put a lid on the pan and cook for a little longer if you prefer your eggs more done.)
11. Portion your steamed rice into 2 serving bowls.
12. Divide the omelet and put half into each bowl, topping with the pan sauce (I like mine rather wet so I use all of the sauce).
13. Sprinkle the remaining scallions over each bowl and add a little Japanese pepper as desired.
14. Serve Oyakodon immediately.

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Notes

*For the steamed rice, start with 1½ cups of uncooked short-grain rice which will yield just over 4 cups of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings. For instructions, see perfect rice.

*If you plan on doubling this recipe, use 2 medium 10” pans instead of a larger pan for better temperature control in setting the eggs.

*If you do not have dashi prepared, you can use dashi packets or powder for a quick substitute. For the dashi packet, bring 1 cup of water to a simmer on high heat. Add the dashi packet and lower heat to medium. Simmer for 5 minutes and then steep for an additional 5 minutes. Strain out the packet and pour out ½ cup. If you’re using instant powder, combine  ½ cup water with ½ teaspoon of dashi powder. Stir to combine and continue with the recipe. 

*you can substitute gluten free soy sauce for the sauce. For vegetarians, use kombu/shiitake broth for the sauce and plant based meat alternative or tofu for the chicken.

Keywords: rice, rice bowl, eggs, japanese, oyako don, oyakodon, chicken

Coconut Flan is one of the most popular desserts on our menu. And while it is a nod to the enduring love Miamians have for Latin American flan (you can seriously get flan even at our gas stations), the addition of coconut makes it closer to the iconic Vietnamese dessert Báhn Flan. Our Coconut Flan is a rich and creamy make-ahead dream of a dessert. The individual servings feel really special and make a beautiful presentation. It’s naturally gluten free, and it makes 10 servings, making it ideal for a dinner party. Or, since it lasts about a week or so in the fridge, I won’t tell if you make it and eat the whole batch whenever you’re craving a little something sweet.

Coconut Flan Starts with Caramel

Making caramel is easier than you might think. It just requires patience and a watchful eye. I make what’s called a wet caramel-meaning that there is water along with sugar in the pan. I think it’s more fool proof and I’ve never had to start over because I’ve burned the caramel. And if you’ve ever watched The Great British Baking Show, you know that making caramel can stump even the best amateur cooks. Because the water has to cook off before the sugar can start to caramelize, wet caramels do take a bit longer. But I figure, what’s a couple minutes compared to having to start the whole process over again.

And before I start, I get a large bowl of cold water ready in the sink, so that when the caramel is the desired color, I can quickly stop the cooking process by dipping the bottom of the pan in the cool water. Once caramel gets to the right color, it can quickly start to burn from the accumulated heat in the pan.

Let me give you an obvious tip that will ease your anxiety: use white granulated sugar. As you can see in my photos, I only had natural sugar, which is why it already looks a little brown before I even started to cook. The light brown color can be difficult for cooks who don’t often make caramel since the white sugar turning a deep amber color is the sign that your caramel is ready. The taste is the same, but I suggest using regular granulated white sugar, especially if you’ve never made caramel before, so you can carefully watch it as starts to brown.

When it’s a nice golden brown, I take it off the and carefully stir it. It is still cooking at this point, and stirring it helps to make the caramelization uniform. When it’s the color I want, I quickly put it in the bowl of cold water.

Baking the Coconut Flan

I can never really decide which part is best-the caramel or the velvety coconut custard. Luckily, we don’t have to. Yes, 12 egg yolks are a lot. Save the whites and make a healthy egg white omelet. That’s called balance!

This flan is more similar in texture to the French creme caramel than Latin flan which is often very dense. It’s ultra creamy and just sweet enough. I would suggest making it the way the recipe is written, but if you want to cut some of the fat and calories, you can substitute coconut milk instead of cream or use whole milk instead of the half and half. I would not suggest using low fat milk or fat free condensed milk. It’s just not worth it.

Once the mixture is velvety smooth, it’s time to bake the coconut flan. I make a water bath to insure that they cook very gently and evenly.

Bake the flan for about 45-55 minutes, until just set. The center shouldn’t look wet, but it should jiggle slightly when tapped. I turn off the oven, keep the door open, and let them cool for 20 minutes in the oven.

The flan need to chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours. Which makes this so convenient for entertaining. Then all you have do on the day of is to plate them right before serving.

Prepare for oohs and ahhs when everyone sees your caramel gloriously bathe the coconut flan.

Honestly this is perfection just like this. But if you’re feeling fancy a sprig of fresh mint provides a nice pop of color, and a sprinkling of toasted coconut chips add a nice crunch.

Give this crowd pleasing dessert a try and let me know what you think. Please take a second to rate and comment on the recipe below, and show off your coconut flan by tagging us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!

Coconut Flan

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: serves 10 1x
• Category: sweets
• Cuisine: vietnamese

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Ingredients

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Caramel Syrup:

• 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cup water

Flan:

• 19 oz can coconut cream
• 1 cup half and half
• 14 oz can condensed milk
• 12 eggs

Garnish:

• Mint sprigs
• Crunchy coconut strips

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Instructions

1. Set 10 (1 cup size) aluminum cups on a rimmed baking tray. 
2. Set a bowl larger than the diameter of the pan you will be using in the sink and fill it with water.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and the water. Turn the heat to medium high and stir the sugar just until it melts. Let the sugar water boil. It will start to thicken and bubble more slowly as it reaches the candy stage. 
4. Continue cooking until the sugar turns a light amber color. This whole process will take about 8-10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and gently and carefully use a spoon and continue mixing as the sugar will continue to darken. 
5. As soon as the caramel is the right color, stop the cooking process by dipping the pot into the bowl of cold water. (Do this in the sink as the water may hiss and spit.)
6. Pour or spoon the caramel evenly into the containers. Set aside to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and set the oven rack to the middle.
8. In a large bowl separate the egg yolks, saving the whites for another purpose. Add the coconut cream, condensed milk, and half and half. 
9. Whisk until the mixture is well combined. Pour the mixture through a mesh to eliminate any unmixed egg. 
10. Pour the mixture into the aluminum tins.
11. Put the tray into the oven and then carefully pour about 3 cups of water into the baking tray (the water should come up to near the edge of the tray, about ⅓ of the way up the aluminum tins).
12. Bake for 45-55 mins until just set. If you tap the side of one, it should jiggle loosely but the center should not be wet. 
13. Turn the oven off and open the oven door. Let cool for 20 minutes before moving the tray out of the oven. Transfer the aluminum tins to a dry tray. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
14. When you are ready to serve, run a pairing (or steak) knife along the edge of the flan. Gently flip the tin over onto a small plate and then pierce the middle of the tin. This will create an air pocket allowing the flan to plop onto the plate.
15. Garnish with a little mint or some coconut chips as desired.

 

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Notes

*This is a rich and creamy flan. You can substitute the half and half for whole milk or substitute coconut milk for the coconut cream if you prefer a lighter flavor.

*If you do not have aluminum tins, you can use any 8 oz (1 Cup) size oven safe bowls. Once the flans are baked and cooled, run a knife along the outer edge and push gently along the edge of the flan when turning it out to break the seal. If you’re having problems turning out the flan, just eat it out of the bowl itself. It’s perfectly fine and you save yourself from having to wash an additional dish!

Keywords: flan, coconut, dessert, sweets, holiday, party