is a Japanese "rice-bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice. ''Donburi'' meals are usually served in oversized rice bowls 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'' (stock broth) flavored with soy sauce 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'', Tsuji (1980) recommends dashi flavored with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. For '' gyūdon'', 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, 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, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

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 ...

'' 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 character ...

, during the Bunka 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 scramble ...

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

''Oyakodon''

consists of simmered

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 adu ...

, egg, and sliced scallion 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 quantit ...

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'') 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 pieces instead of chicken meat. Popular in Kansai area.

''Karēdon''

consists of thickened curry-flavored '' dashi'' 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, 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, stu ...

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, ...

on rice; this dish is named for the city of Tianjin.

''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, 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'' 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