Miso Oyakodon

Oyakodon is one of those dishes I never get tired of. With jammy half-set eggs draped over tender chicken and served over a bowl of rice, it's a pleasure to eat, and it has enough protein to keep you satisfied till dinner. It's usually built on a soy sauce and dashi base, but a crazy idea recently popped into my head: "What if I seasoned it with miso instead of soy sauce?" I'm not going to claim I'm the first person to think of this, but it's a really good idea.

Instead of going for a short simmer (which risks missing that window where the chicken is still juicy), I stewed this one for about 15 minutes. This takes a bit more time, but I think you gain it back by the fact that you don't need dashi (the chicken makes its own). You also don't need to watch over it. Just add all the ingredients to a pan, cover it, and let it simmer.

This gives the collagen in the thighs enough time to break down and make the chicken tender again while allowing the flavor of the miso to penetrate into each bite. The Tokyo negi becomes creamy and soft, while the broth becomes marvelously rich and earthy with a balancing sweetness from the negi and mirin.

Tokyo negi is a type of large Japanese scallion with thick white stems that can be almost an inch across. You'll find them at Japanese supermarkets in the US, but if they're not available, the white parts of regular scallions or yellow onions will do the trick.

The egg is where it all comes together. My trick is to not overmix and split it into two additions. You want distinct streaks of white and yolk, not a uniform scramble. The first half gets covered and simmered for about a minute to partially set. Then drizzle the remaining egg over the top of everything and let it steam just long enough to thicken without firming up.

The result is a creamy layer of egg that melds with the miso sauce, thickening it up and helping it cling to the rice as it percolates down.

This makes one generous bowl, which is plenty as a 1-bowl meal, but you could also serve this with a side or two and split it between two people.