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Sanshoku soboro don (three-colour rice bowl)
三色そぼろ丼 · Rice with minced chicken, sweet scrambled egg and green beans
Japanese mothers have packed sanshoku soboro bento for school trips and sports days for generations: brown soy-simmered chicken mince, yellow sweet scrambled egg and green beans laid in three neat stripes over rice. It is cheap, colourful and loved by children, and it travels well cold. The chicken is cooked with a splash of sake and mirin that simmers right off; use water and a pinch more sugar for an alcohol-free version. The common mistake is clumpy soboro: stir the mince with four chopsticks held together over a low heat from the start, and it breaks into fine, fluffy crumbs. Chicken must reach 74 °C with no pink. Chef's tip: take the eggs off the heat while still slightly wet; they finish cooking in the hot pan and stay soft.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Chicken soboro
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp mirinor 1 tsp sugar plus 1 tbsp water for an alcohol-free version
- 1 tbsp sakeor water
- ⅛ oz fresh gingergrated
Egg soboro
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Green layer and rice
- 2 ⅞ oz green beansor mangetout
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 7 oz chicken mince (thigh), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake and ⅛ oz fresh ginger in a cold pan and mix well. Set over a medium-low heat and stir constantly with 4 chopsticks held together until the mince turns into fine crumbs.
3 minStep 2: Keep cooking and stirring until the liquid has almost gone and the chicken is cooked through (165°F). Set aside.
6 minStep 3: Beat 3 eggs with 2 tsp sugar and 1 pinch salt. Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over a low heat, add the eggs and stir quickly with 4 chopsticks until they set in small, soft crumbs.
3 minStep 4: Blanch 2 ⅞ oz green beans in boiling water with 1 pinch salt for 2 minutes until bright green, cool in cold water and slice thinly on the diagonal.
3 minStep 5: Fill bowls or lunchboxes with 14 oz hot cooked Japanese short-grain rice and lay the chicken, egg and beans over it in three neat stripes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 84 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sanshoku soboro don (three-colour rice bowl) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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