Teriyaki chicken donburi

STEPS

Soy sauce eggs

1. Place the marinade ingredients in a tall container with an air-tight lid. Whisk to combine(if you added sugar, make sure the sugar is completely dissolved). The basic marinade is now ready. If you want to infuse the marinade with more flavour, place it in a small saucepan, along with 1/4 cup of water. Add chili, or garlic, or ginger, or star anise (or all), and bring the marinade to a simmer. As soon as the sauce starts to simmer, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

2. Fill a saucepan with some water. Make sure the pot is large enough for the eggs to sit at the bottom in one layer, and to have about 1 inch of water above the eggs. Add some salt or a little vinegar to the water (this is to prevent the egg whites from running out if there’s any cracking of eggs while cooking).

3. Bring the water to a boil over high heat with the lid on. Then lower the heat to medium or medium high, so that the water is still bubbling but not at a rolling boil (the eggs are more likely to crack at a rolling boil).

4. Lower each egg gently into the water. As soon as you’ve lowered all the eggs into the water, place the lid back on, and immediately set the timer for 6 minutes and 30 seconds for a set white, and jammy egg yolk.

5. When the time is up, remove the eggs and immediately place them in a bowl with cold running water, for at least 2-3 minutes.

6. Carefully peel the eggs by gently tapping them on a hard surface to create little cracks along the surface. Once peeled, place the eggs in the (cooled) marinade. Let the eggs marinate for at least for 2 hours, 8-12 hours for best results, or even up to 24 hours.

7. Remove the eggs from the marinade and place them in a separate air-tight container. These can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep the rest of the marinade in an air-tight container in the fridge. This can be re-used for up to 3 weeks.

Crispy fried shallots

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl or medium saucepan.

2. Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, slice the shallots.

3. Combine shallots and oil in a medium saucepan. Place over high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until shallots begin to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring constantly as the shallots fry to ensure even cooking, until shallots turn pale golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Working quickly, pour contents of saucepan into prepared strainer set over bowl. (Shallots will continue cooking for a brief period after draining, so do not allow them to get too dark.)

4. Immediately transfer shallots to prepared baking sheet, spread them out into an even layer, and season with salt. Allow shallots to drain, then carefully lift the top layer of paper towels and roll shallots onto second layer, blotting gently with the first. Allow shallots and oil to cool to room temperature, then transfer to separate airtight containers. Store fried shallots at room temperature, and shallot oil in the refrigerator.

Chicken

1. Combine the teriyaki sauce ingredients in a small bowl or cup and mix well until the sugar dissolves.

2. If the thickness of the chicken is uneven, place a fillet on a cutting board, skin side down, make a cut horizontally and outward where the meat is thick and butterfly it. Poke the skin with the tip of the knife in several places so that the sauce will get through to the flesh better.

3. In a frying pan, brown the chicken mince in oil and ginger, and pour over half of the marinade. Leave to simmer.

4. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin gets cooked to a golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook for about 3 minutes. If a lot of oil comes out of the chicken fat and skin, absorb excess oil with a paper towel.

5. When the chicken is nearly cooked, add about 1/3 of the sauce, shake the pan to even out the sauce, and put the lid on. Cook for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and cook until the sauce thickens and reduces to about 1-1.5 tablespoons. Turn the chicken over and coat the skin side with the sauce.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and place the chicken on the cutting board, skin side up. Cover with foil for few minutes to let it cook further. Slice the chicken into 1.5-2cm thick pieces. Continue heating the sauce in the frying pan until it becomes a glaze.

Assembly

1. Add the rice to a bowl, and top with the saboro and sliced chicken thighs. Poor over the glaze and left-over marinade. Garnish with the marinated egg, chopped spring onion, pickled shiitake and ginger, and crispy shallots.