Tamagodon (Japanese egg rice bowl)
Silky ribbons of egg and sweet onion simmered in a soy and mirin sauce, slid over a bowl of warm rice, for the coziest cheap dinner there is.
- 35 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $1.50 a serving
- 560 calories
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 4 large eggs
From your pantry
- 1¾ cups water, divided
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
Each serving has about 560 calories, 21 g protein, 91 g carbs and 10 g fat, and costs about $1.50 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice in a strainer until the water runs almost clear. Put it in a small with 1¼ cups water and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the burner and leave the lid on for 10 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: No peeking. The steam trapped under the lid is what finishes the rice.While the rice cooks, the onion and green onions.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Stir ½ cup water, the soy sauce, mirin and sugar together in a 10-inch that has a lid. Add the onion and over medium heat until soft and , about 5 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Translucent. Translucent means onions have cooked until they turn from white to slightly see-through. It shows they’re soft and sweet but haven’t started to brown.
How you’ll know: The onion looks glossy and a little see-through, bends easily, and has barely any color.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork, about 10 strokes, so you can still see streaks of white.
Dolly’s tip: Streaky is the goal. It gives you soft ribbons of yellow and white instead of a flat omelette.Pour two thirds of the egg over the onions in a slow circle. Cover and cook 1 minute.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Pour in the rest of the egg and scatter over most of the green onions. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until the egg is set but still soft and glossy.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Tilt the pan. If thin, clear egg runs toward the edge, cover it for another 30 seconds.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Divide the rice between two bowls. Slide half the egg and onions over each with a spatula, spoon over the sauce left in the pan and top with the last of the green onions.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with eggs and rice ›