is a Japanese "rice-bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients

simmered Simmering is a food preparation technique by which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept just below the boiling point of water (lower than ) and above poaching temperature (higher than ). To create a steady simmer, a liquid is brought to a boil, ...

together and served over rice. ''Donburi'' meals are usually served in oversized rice

bowl A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This makes ...

s which are also called ''donburi''. If one needs to distinguish, the bowl is called and the food is called . The simmering sauce varies according to season, ingredients, region, and taste. A typical sauce might consist of ''

dashi is a family of stocks used in Japanese cuisine. ''Dashi'' forms the base for miso soup, clear broth soup, noodle broth soup, and many simmering liquids to accentuate the savory flavor known as umami. ''Dashi'' is also mixed into the flour ba ...

'' (stock broth) flavored with

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

and ''

mirin is a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. The sugar content is a complex carbohydrate that forms naturally during the fermentation pro ...

'' (rice wine). Proportions vary, but there is normally three to four times as much ''dashi'' as soy sauce and ''mirin''. For ''

oyakodon , literally "parent-and-child donburi", is a ''donburi'', or Japanese rice bowl dish, in which chicken, egg, sliced scallion (or sometimes regular onions), and other ingredients are all simmered together in a kind of soup that is made with soy sa ...

'', Tsuji (1980) recommends dashi flavored with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. For ''

gyūdon , also known as , is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with ''dashi'' (fish and seaweed stock), soy sauce and ''mirin'' (sweet rice wine). It may sometimes also be ...

'', Tsuji recommends water flavored with dark soy sauce and ''mirin''. One can make donburi from almost any ingredients, including leftovers.

Varieties of donburi

Traditional Japanese ''donburi'' include the following:

''Gyūdon''

Gyudon by jetalone in Higashi-Ginza, Tokyo

, is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with ''dashi'' (fish and seaweed stock), soy sauce and ''mirin'' (sweet rice wine). It also often includes

shirataki noodles Shirataki ( ja, 白滝, often written with the ''hiragana'' ) are translucent, gelatinous Japanese noodles made from the corm of the konjac yam. They are part of traditional Japanese cuisine, but they are also appreciated by people with allergie ...

, and is sometimes topped with a raw egg or a soft poached egg (''onsen tamago'').

''Butadon''

''Buta'' means pork. is a dish made with pork instead of beef in a mildly sweet sauce. ''Butadon'' originated in

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

but is now enjoyed all over Japan.

''Tendon''

' consists of ''

tempura is a typical Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood, meat and vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. The dish was introduced by the Portuguese in Nagasaki through fritter-cooking techniques in the 16th century. The word ''tem ...

'' on a bowl of rice. The name "tendon" is an abbreviation of and .

''Tentamadon''

consists of tempura which is simmered with beaten egg and topped on rice.

''Unadon''

is a dish originating in Japan. It consists of a ''donburi'' type large bowl filled with steamed white rice, and topped with fillets of eel (unagi) grilled in a style known as kabayaki, similar to teriyaki. The fillets are glazed with a sweetened soy-based sauce, called ''tare'' and caramelized, preferably over charcoal fire. The fillets are not flayed, and the grayish skin side is placed faced down. ''Una-don'' was the first type of ''donburi'' rice dish, invented in the late

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, during the

Bunka was a after ''Kyōwa'' and before ''Bunsei''. The period spanned the years from January 1804 to April 1818. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 11, 1804 (): The new era name of ''Bunka'' ( meaning "Culture" or "Civiliza ...

era (1804–1818)

''Tamagodon''

consists of a

scrambled egg Scrambled eggs is a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs) stirred, whipped or beaten together while being gently heated, typically with salt, butter, oil and sometimes other ingredients. Preparation Only eggs are necessary to make scrambled ...

mixed with sweet ''donburi'' sauce on rice.

''Oyakodon''

consists of

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

, and sliced

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, ch ...

served on top of a large bowl of rice. The chicken is also sometimes replaced with

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

in a variation referred to as .

''Katsudon''

consists of breaded deep-fried pork cutlets (''

tonkatsu is a Japanese dish that consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. It involves coating slices of pork with panko (bread crumbs), and then frying them in oil. The two main types are fillet and loin. Tonkatsu is also the basis of other dis ...

'') and onion are simmered and binding by beaten egg, then topped on rice. There are some regional variations in Japan.

''Sōsukatsudon''

is similar to Katsudon, but with sliced cabbage and sweet-salty sauce instead of egg.

''Konohadon''

is similar to ''oyakodon'', but using thin sliced

kamaboko is a type of cured , a processed seafood product common in Japanese cuisine. is made by forming various pureed deboned white fish with either natural or man-made additives and flavorings into distinctive loaves, which are then steamed u ...

pieces instead of chicken meat. Popular in Kansai area.

''Karēdon''

consists of thickened curry-flavored ''

'' on rice. It was derived from curry ''

udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...

'' or curry ''nanban'' (a ''soba'' dish). Sold at ''soba/udon'' restaurants.

''Tekkadon''

consists of thinly-sliced raw

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

on rice. Spicy tekkadon is made with what can be a mix of spicy ingredients, a spicy orange sauce, or both (usually incorporates spring onions).

''Hokkaidon''

consists of thinly-sliced raw salmon over rice.

''Negitorodon''

consists of

negitoro ''Negitoro'' () is a Japanese cuisine of minced raw tuna scrape, the fatty parts of the fish that cannot be made into other meals, commonly served together with green onion. In addition to being an ingredient to sushi of various types, they are al ...

, aka diced '' toro'' (fatty tuna) and negi (spring onions) on rice.

''Ikuradon''

is seasoned ''ikura'' (salmon roe) on rice.

''Kaisendon''

consists of thinly-sliced

sashimi is a Japanese delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish or meat sliced into thin pieces and often eaten with soy sauce. Origin The word ''sashimi'' means "pierced body", i.e. "刺身" = ''sashimi'', where 刺し = ''sashi'' (pierced, stuck) ...

on rice. Fish roe may also be included.

''Tenshindon'' or ''tenshin-han''

is a Chinese-Japanese specialty, consisting of a crabmeat

omelet In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives, ve ...

on rice; this dish is named for the city of

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

''Chūkadon''

consists of a bowl of rice with stir-fried vegetables, onions, mushrooms, and thin slices of meat on top. This dish is similar to

chop suey Chop suey () is a dish in American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, consisting of meat (usually chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or fish) and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery ...

, and is sold at inexpensive Chinese restaurants in Japan.

Gallery

File:Beefsukiyakidonjf1130.JPG, Pork ''sukiyakidon'' File:Akihabara kaisendon - Dec 2014.jpg, ''Kaisendon'' File:Tori Karaage Don With Onsen Tamago by Banej.jpg, A bowl of Japanese rice topped with ''

karaage is a Japanese cooking technique in which various foods—most often chicken, but also other meat and fish—are deep fried in oil. The process involves lightly coating small pieces of the meat or fish with flour, or potato or corn starch, and f ...

'' chicken, soft-boiled egg, vegetables and topped with condiments

References

Bibliography

* Tsuji, Shizuo (1980). ''Japanese cooking: A simple art''. New York: Kodansha International/USA. . {{Rice dishes Japanese rice dishes