One-bowl wonders: 15 of the best donburi recipes
Tender, juicy pieces of chicken thigh and softly set eggs poach together in a sweetened soy broth until they reach the point of a barely set omelette. Then, the silky concoction is slid gently over steaming rice for a spoonable rice bowl ready in minutes.
Once fuel for farmhands in Tokachi, Hokkaido, this donburi has become a sought-after northern classic, pairing smoky grill-marked pork belly with a soy-mirin glaze that clings to each slice.
Tender, thin slices of beef are simmered with onions and a dashi sauce until to sweet-savoury perfection. Crimson pickled ginger brighten each bite, cutting richness and waking up your palate.
Char-grilled pork strips are lacquered in caramel glaze and served with crisp cabbage over freshly steamed rice. The sticky-sweet-umami combination is an undoubtable crowd-pleaser.
Blow-torched sashimi salmon gets a lick of char and smoky aroma while staying sashimi-tender inside. Add a sesame oil-soy sauce dressing, creamy avocado, crunchy pickled ginger, wisps of Kewpie mayonnaise and wasabi to taste for a sushi-bar experience in one bowl.
Panko-crusted eggplant fries until golden and boasting an audible crunch, then lounges over rice under a velvety curry-style katsu sauce. The mighty eggplant proves that a plant-based bowl can still pack steak-level swagger.
Ultra-thin wagyu sears in seconds, locking in its buttery marbling, a 30-second microwaved egg delivers level ooze, and a garlic-soy tare (sauce) is thickened to the consistency of maple syrup to bring everything together.
A mapo tofu-style topping meets donburi: pork mince, shiitake mushrooms and silken tofu cubes simmer in five-spice-laced sauce. The richness of the combination is complemented by the gentle flavour of steamed short-grain rice.
Two skillets, two textures: caramelised minced chicken on one side, buttery egg crumble on the other. Add greens and pickled ginger for a three-tone midweek saviour that adults and kids alike will devour.
With pantry staples and ten minutes, tamago-don delivers custardy comfort: onions and mushrooms simmer in a soy broth, absorbing umami before cascading onto rice. A dusting of shichimi togarashi — Japanese seven spice (optional) — gives gentle heat.
Charcoal-grilled is repeatedly brushed with smoky soy-mirin glaze until lacquered and fragrant, then draped over rice. This is a classic summer dish in Japan, when unagi is in season and believed to bring the energy needed to battle the hot and humid weather.
This Japanese comfort food staple answers the eternal question — keep the katsu (fried breaded coating) crisp or soak it in broth? Solution: both. A quick simmer keeps edges crunchy yet lets flavour seep through. This is the classic pork version found ubiquitously across Japan, from convenience stores to speciality diners.
This triple-layered rice bowl is a family favourite for good reason: sweet soy beef, tender broccoli and seasoned egg crumble combine for an easy, no-fuss meal.
Garlic-soy pork belly and raw egg yolk crown rice, delivering the high-octane energy that gave this dish its 'stamina' name. Nori and spring onion keep flavours bright.
A summer donburi remix: ripe tomato wedges melt into the oyakodon broth, lending sweetness and brightness that cut through rich chicken and egg.
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