Here is a very yummy Japanese chicken dish, it is very easy and quick recipe to do. If you can’t get instant dashi, it will take a little longer to make, as you will have the boiling time for the dashi to add on.

                                                                                                                                                            Ingredients

Olive oil
120g Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
1 Cup secondary dashi (see recipe below if you can’t get instant.)
3 Tablespoons Mirin (If using non alcoholic, this tends to be quite sweet only use 2 tablespoons.)
2 Teaspoons sugar
50ml Japanese soy sauce
800g Chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1 Leek, sliced
6 large eggs or 8 medium eggs, lightly beaten
11/2 Cups koshihikari rice (If you can’t get koshihikari rice, white medium-grain can be used instead.)
2 Tablespoons chopped chives

Method

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, cook chicken in batches until browned, remove and set to one side, wipe pan clean.

2. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in pan, add leek and mushrooms cook a few Min’s until leeks soften.

3. Add dashi, sauce, mirin, sugar and bring to boil, return chicken to pan, reduce heat to medium low, simmer about 15 Min’s until chicken is cooked through.

4. Boil rice while chicken is simmering, drain rice.

5. Pour egg over chicken mixture, cook covered, for about 5 Min’s extra, until egg just sets.

To serve: Divide rice among serving bowls, top with chicken, sprinkle with chives

Here is a recipe for primary dashi I posted earlier, to turn this into secondary dashi, Add the 41/4 cups of water all at once, add kelp and bonito flakes, along with 10g extra bonito flakes and boil for about 20-25 min’s to allow flavour to really come through, strain as per primary dashi once it has been boiled. Secondary dashi is just a heavier version of this stock.

If you can’t get instant dashi here is a recipe for primary dashi. The recipe makes quite a lot but if you make Japanese often it will keep in the fridge for a few days and last in the freezer for a month but it will lose some of it’s delicate flavour and aroma.

15g dried kelp (konbu)
1 litre cold water (4 cups)
15g large smoked dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)

1. Wipe kelp with a damp cloth, cut into 3-4 large pieces. Place kelp in a large saucepan with water, cook uncovered, about 10 Min’s or until just about to come to a boil.

2. Remove kelp, bring liquid to boil and add another 1/4 cup cold water along with bonito flakes, return just to a boil, remove from heat immediately.

3. Strain dashi through a muslin-lined sieve into another pan.

All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.