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Tori Soboro Don (Japanese Chicken Mince Rice Bowl)

Soboro is minced meat simmered in soy, mirin and sugar until the liquid disappears and every crumb is glazed. Over rice with something green and something soft it becomes one of the most reliable weeknight dinners in the Japanese repertoire.

The traditional version pairs the chicken with scrambled egg in neat stripes. Ours keeps the stripes but adds beans and spinach, because a bowl of mince and rice is better with something fresh cutting through it.

Servings
4
Prep Time
5
mins
Cook Time
15
mins
Ingredients
12
Total Time
20
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Pantry bits

No items found.

Ingredients

  • 500g chicken mince
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sake
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 3cm piece ginger, finely grated
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp neutral oil
  • 150g green beans, trimmed and halved
  • 2 large handfuls baby spinach
  • 4 cups hot steamed rice
  • Pickled ginger and toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Instructions

  1. Put the chicken mince, soy, mirin, sake, sugar and grated ginger in a cold frying pan. Break the mince up thoroughly with a spatula before you turn the heat on, so it cooks into fine crumbs rather than lumps.
  2. Cook over medium high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the liquid has almost gone and the mince is glossy.
  3. Meanwhile, boil the beans for 2 minutes, add the spinach for the last 20 seconds, then drain well and press out excess water.
  4. Wipe out a second pan, add the oil over low heat and pour in the beaten egg. Stir constantly with chopsticks for about a minute to make fine, soft curds, then take it off the heat.
  5. Divide the rice between four bowls and lay the chicken, egg and greens in stripes across the top. Finish with pickled ginger and sesame seeds.

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