Main course Japanese
Soboro Don with Beef, Eggs and Crunchy Vegetables
Meat & fish
Editorially prepared
A bowl of Japanese rice topped with finely crumbled beef in a sweet-savoury sauce, tender scrambled egg crumbs, raw cabbage and carrot. The toppings are prepared separately and arranged over the rice rather than fried together.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
For more servings, cook the beef in batches so it does not stew in excess liquid. Cook the eggs in smaller batches too. This will increase the preparation time. Check the rice packet for water quantities, particularly if changing the rice variety or pot size.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of sakedry white wine
Use the same volume in place of sake. Choose a mild, unfortified wine; the sauce will taste more acidic and lack sake's rice aroma.
- Instead of Japanese short-grain white rice, also sold as sushi ricemedium-grain white rice
Use the same dry weight. Follow the packet for water and cooking time; the grains may be less sticky. Do not add sushi seasoning.
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Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
Approximately 2 litre saucepan with a tight-fitting lid · Two hob rings · Wide frying pan, approximately 28 cm, and a lid for covering the finished beef · Non-stick frying pan for the eggs · Fine sieve · Chopping board, knife and grater · Bowls for the vegetables, sauce and eggs · Spatula and whisk or fork · Four serving bowls
Method
0/9 stepsRinse the rice
Measure the rice and rinse it in several changes of cool water, moving the grains gently. Once the water is only slightly cloudy, drain thoroughly in a sieve and transfer to the saucepan. Allow about 5 minutes for measuring and rinsing.
Rinse the rice Soak the rice
Add the measured cooking water to the rice. Soak for 20 minutes from the moment the water is added; the grains should become whiter and more opaque. If their centres still look distinctly translucent, soak for another 10 minutes. Prepare the vegetables, sauce and eggs in the next step while the rice soaks.
20:00Soak the rice Prepare the toppings
Wash the vegetables. Shred the cabbage very finely and coarsely grate the peeled carrots; set aside to serve raw. Thinly slice the spring onions, keeping the white parts and green tops separate. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Mix the soy sauce, mirin and sake. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the salt until the whites and yolks are fully combined. Allow about 15 minutes.
Prepare the toppings Cook the rice
After soaking, place the saucepan of rice and water over a medium heat. Bring to the boil with the lid slightly ajar, allowing about 5 minutes. Close the lid, reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cook for about 15 minutes from boiling. Do not stir. Meanwhile, prepare the beef in the next two steps. Briefly check the rice towards the end: the water should be absorbed. If liquid remains at the bottom, cook covered for another 2–3 minutes and check again.
15:00Cook the rice Crumble and cook the beef
When the rice begins cooking over a low heat, heat a wide frying pan with two-thirds of the oil over a medium heat for about 2 minutes. Reserve the remaining oil for the eggs. Add the beef, white parts of the spring onions and ginger. Fry for about 8 minutes from adding the beef, stirring frequently and breaking it into fine crumbs with a spatula. The meat should lose its raw appearance and excess released water should evaporate. If large wet lumps remain, break them up and cook a little longer.
08:00Crumble and cook the beef Reduce the sauce
Pour the prepared sauce into the beef and bring to a gentle simmer, usually taking about 1 minute. Cook for about 4 minutes from the first bubbles, stirring. The beef must be fully cooked, finely crumbled and glossy, with the sauce coating it; a little liquid may remain when you draw a spatula through it. If the sauce is watery, reduce it a little longer. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Now check that the rice is ready and start its resting stage.
04:00Reduce the sauce Rest the rice
Once the rice has absorbed the water, taste a grain: it should not have a hard, chalky centre. If it is hard, add a small splash of hot water and cook covered for a few more minutes, then check again. Remove the cooked rice from the hob, cover tightly and rest for 10 minutes from removing it from the heat. Do not open the saucepan during this rest. Meanwhile, cook the eggs and prepare the serving bowls.
10:00Rest the rice Make fine scrambled eggs
Heat the remaining oil in the second frying pan over a medium-low heat; allow about 2 minutes for heating and pouring in the eggs. Add the beaten eggs and cook for about 4–5 minutes from pouring them in, stirring constantly with a spatula and breaking up the curds. Remove from the heat when the eggs form fine, tender crumbs with no liquid egg remaining. If still wet, continue stirring over a low heat a little longer; do not brown them.
05:00Make fine scrambled eggs Assemble the bowls
Towards the end of the rice's rest, set out the bowls and arrange the toppings ready for serving. After the full 10-minute rest, gently fluff the rice with a spatula. Check that the beef and eggs are still hot and the vegetables are well drained. Divide the rice between the bowls. Arrange separate sections of beef with its remaining pan sauce, eggs, cabbage and carrot on top. Scatter over the reserved green spring onion tops and serve immediately. Allow about 4 minutes for the final assembly.
Assemble the bowls
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Tips
- Shred the cabbage as finely as possible and coarsely grate the carrots. Thick pieces will be difficult to pick up with the rice.
- Break up the beef from the start of cooking. Aim for fine crumbs rather than large lumps or a deeply browned crust.
- Do not reduce the sauce until completely dry: a little liquid should moisten the rice. Add a small splash of water if the sauce starts sticking.
- If the rice packet specifies a different water ratio or longer cooking time, follow it and adjust the timing of the toppings.
Storage
Best served immediately. Transfer leftover rice, fully cooked beef and set eggs to separate shallow containers, cool quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour. Eat within 24 hours. Reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout. Keep the raw vegetables separate and add them after reheating.
Timing
Hands-on: 53 min · Cooking: 27 min · Resting: 30 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
