Oyster Donburi

This oyster don (牡蛎丼) is proof that cooking for one can be a pampering treat – the proportions are for one, though it can be easily adapted to cook for more. Oysters have always been one of my favourite seafood and this is such a great way of eating them!

See Also:

Oyster Don

I adapted this recipe from my favourite Japanese cooking Youtube channel – Cooking with Dog and have since made it more than 10 times (an astronomical figure considering I featured at least a new recipe each week). When I am looking for a satisfying yet quick one-dish meal, I known I can count on Japanese donburi (literally “rice bowl dish”) – I absolutely love the fact that all the basic ingredients (such as egg, dashi stock, onions, soy sauce and mirin) are kitchen staples so I can plan my weekly grocery shopping without an excessive long list of new ingredients.

oysters

Cooking Tips for making Oyster Don

  • Do not overbeat the eggs to ensure that the egg mixture remain silky when cooked.
  • Blanching the oysters for 10 seconds beforehand ensures that they remain plump and juicy after cooking.
  • For best results, use Japanese oysters which you can find at Japanese supermarkets (I bought a frozen 1 kg bag from Sakuraya, Singapore; pictured above). Even though they are pricier (about S$30+) than the China ones, they are much bigger, taste sweeter, juicier and fresher.

Oyster Donburi Recipe

The proportions listed in this recipe are for one, though they can be easily adapted to cook for more (e.g. to cook for two – use 3 eggs instead of two).

Ingredients:

  • 6 Japanese oysters if using frozen, thaw before use
  • lightly salted water just a small pinch of salt
  • 100 ml dashi stock cheat by using 1/2 tsp dashi powder with hot water
  • 1 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 1/2 onion thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp ginger juice
  • 2 small eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 serving cooked Japanese short-grain rice
  • dashes of Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven flavor chili pepper) to taste
  • small handful of shredded seaweed or dashes of Japanese furikake
  • 1/2 tbsp chopped spring onions

Directions:

  1. Prepare the oysters by first cleaning them in lightly salted water, then rinse in clean water. Blanch oysters in boiling water briefly for about 10 seconds or until they plump up slightly, drain and set aside.
  2. Cook oysters. Add dashi stock, soy sauce and mirin to a saucepan. Once the sauce starts to boil, reduce heat. Distribute onions, oysters and ginger juice evenly across the pan. Simmer for two minutes, then flip oysters to the other side for another minute.
  3. Cook the egg. Once the oysters are cooked, gently distribute the beaten egg evenly over the contents of the saucepan. When the egg is half-cooked, turn off the heat, put on the lid and let the egg continue cooking in the heat until it reaches the desired consistency (almost cooked with moist & silky appearance).
  4. To serve, ladle cooked Japanese rice to serving bowl and top with seaweed or furikake. Scoop the egg mixture over the rice and top with dashes of Shichimi togarashi and spring onions.

Noob Cook Tip:
Do not overbeat the eggs to ensure that the egg mixture remain silky when cooked.