Authentic Oyakodon Made from Scratch Dashi (Kikunoi, Yoshihiro Murata)

Put water and kombu in a pot. In the Kansai region, the kombu is placed directly into the water and heated.

Once it reaches 60°C, hold that temperature for 1 hour. As a guide, 60°C is about the temperature at which you cannot keep your finger in for a second. The viscous polysaccharides (slime) around the kombu coat the proteins and hinder the extraction of glutamic acid, so 60°C for 1 hour is optimal.

After 1 hour, remove the kombu and raise the temperature to 85°C. Once it reaches 85°C, turn off the heat and add the katsuobushi.

Strain about 10 seconds after adding the katsuobushi. The inosinic acid umami comes out quickly, so do not let it sit long. Squeezing at this point clouds the dashi, so do not squeeze; strain through a paper towel set in a strainer. The ichiban dashi is now complete.

Cut the chicken thigh. Cut it as finely as possible, small enough to fit in the mouth together with the rice and egg.

Cut the kujo negi. The white part takes longer to cook, so cut it finely; the green part wilts easily, so cut it slightly larger.

Combine the warishita: 7 parts dashi, 1 part mirin, 1 part soy sauce. Since this is Kansai style, usukuchi soy sauce is used. Every donburi dish can be made with this ratio.

Pour the warishita into a small frying pan and turn on the heat. Having a small frying pan makes this easiest.

Add the chicken and cook it slowly. The chicken releases sweetness and fat. The surface turning white does not mean it is cooked through, so tasting it is the easiest way to check.

The secret technique: add a small amount of potato starch dissolved in water. Bringing it to a boil once makes it silky, giving it a thickness slightly thinner than an ankake sauce. This is what makes the egg turn out fluffy.

Put the rice in a donburi bowl. Add the green and white parts of the negi to the frying pan as you like. The negi wilts quickly, so move on to the next step right after adding it.

Without beating the eggs too much, add them all at once. It is often said to add them in several batches, but all at once is fine. Once they begin to set, stir a little at a time, and while they are still runny, spoon them over the rice to finish. Sprinkle with sansho pepper to taste.