Why not try the colorful and nutritious Soboro Don? With its combination of ground meat, scrambled eggs, and a green vegetable, each ingredient offers a distinct flavor that pairs perfectly with rice.
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What is Soboro Don?
Soboro Don is a rice bowl generally topped with three ingredients: ground meat (meat soboro), finely scrambled eggs (egg soboro), and a green vegetable. "Soboro" refers to ground meat, fish, or eggs that have been simmered or stir-fried until finely minced, and "Don" is a shortened term for 'donburi,' which means a rice bowl. The most commonly used ingredient for ground meat is chicken.
In Japan, there is no other famous rice bowl topped with three different colors, so it is also called 'Sanshoku Don' (three-colored rice bowl). The flavors of the three ingredients complement rice well, ensuring a satisfying meal. It is a hearty and nutritious dish.
Recommended cuts for ground meat
The ground meat used for this dish includes chicken, as well as beef and pork. While chicken is commonly used, you can enjoy different flavors by changing the type of meat used.
For chicken, thigh meat is recommended, while for beef or pork, leaner cuts are a good choice. For more information, please refer to this linked page.
Green vegetable options
In soboro don, commonly used green vegetables include spinach and peas. This recipe uses spinach due to its high nutritional value, but you can make it even more easily using peas. In that case, simply blanch the peas for about 1 minute and drain any excess water (no seasoning required).
You can also use another type of green vegetable or create a two-colored soboro don with just ground meat and scrambled eggs, without adding any vegetables.
Ingredients
- 11.3 oz. (320g) cooked Japanese white rice
For the spinach
- 3.5 oz. (100g) spinach
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp soy sauce
For the chicken soboro
- 5.3 oz. (150g) ground chicken thighs
- 0.13 oz. (3.5g) tsp ginger
- 1 ½ Tbsp sake
- 1 ½ Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
For the egg soboro
- 2 eggs
- ½ Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch of salt
Step-by-step instructions
🕒 Total 25 mins
Steps for cooking spinach:
Step 1
Fill a large pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil.
Step 2
When the water comes to a boil, add salt (approximately 1% of the water's volume, not included in the recipe). Then, place the spinach in the pot, starting from the root end. Boil only the stems for a minute, and submerge the leaves for an additional 30 seconds.
Step 3
Remove the spinach from the pot and cool it under running water. Then, squeeze out any excess moisture.
Step 4
Trim the spinach roots and cut the remaining portions into 1.6 inch (4cm) lengths. Place the spinach in a bowl and toss it with sugar and soy sauce.
Steps to make chicken soboro:
Step 5
Peel and grate the ginger. Mix the ground chicken, grated ginger, and sake in a pot.
Step 6
Heat the pot over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
Step 7
When the ground chicken turns white in color, mix in sugar and soy sauce. Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Steps to make egg soboro:
Step 8
Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them together with sake, sugar, and salt.
Step 9
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour the beaten egg mixture into it. After it has partially cooked, stir quickly with chopsticks until fully cooked.
Step to serve:
Step 10
Serve rice in each bowl and arrange the spinach, chicken soboro, and egg soboro on top in an attractive and colorful way.
To Store
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Tips on how to make
For the spinach:
- Boil the spinach in a large pot of salted water. The purpose of using plenty of water is to remove the harsh taste from the spinach, and salt is added to prevent the color of the spinach from fading.
- Spinach should be boiled starting from the stems. Then, submerge the leaves to ensure even cooking.
For the chicken soboro:
- Ground chicken should be cooked over medium heat or lower. Using high heat will cause the meat to become tough.
- Keep stirring the ground chicken until it is cooked through. Continuing to stir will prevent it from becoming lumpy and losing its appearance and texture.
For the egg soboro:
- When the egg mixture is partially cooked, stir it quickly with chopsticks. This will make it scramble finely.
Recipe Card
Soboro Don (Ground Chicken Bowl)
Ingredients
- 11.3 oz. (320g) cooked Japanese white rice
For the spinach
- 3.5 oz. (100g) spinach
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp soy sauce
For the chicken soboro
- 5.3 oz. (150g) ground chicken thighs
- 0.13 oz. (3.5g) tsp ginger
- 1 ½ Tbsp sake
- 1 ½ Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
For the egg soboro
- 2 eggs
- ½ Tbsp sake
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Steps for cooking spinach:
- Fill a large pot with plenty of water and bring it to a boil.
- When the water comes to a boil, add salt (approximately 1% of the water's volume, not included in the recipe). Then, place the spinach in the pot, starting from the root end. Boil only the stems for a minute, and submerge the leaves for an additional 30 seconds.
- Remove the spinach from the pot and cool it under running water. Then, squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Trim the spinach roots and cut the remaining portions into 1.6 inch (4cm) lengths. Place the spinach in a bowl and toss it with sugar and soy sauce.
Steps to make chicken soboro:
- Peel and grate the ginger. Mix the ground chicken, grated ginger, and sake in a pot.
- Heat the pot over medium heat and cook the mixture, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
- When the ground chicken turns white in color, mix in sugar and soy sauce. Simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Steps to make egg soboro:
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them together with sake, sugar, and salt.
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour the beaten egg mixture into it. After it has partially cooked, stir quickly with chopsticks until fully cooked.
Step to serve:
- Serve rice in each bowl and arrange the spinach, chicken soboro, and egg soboro on top in an attractive and colorful way.
Notes
- You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
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