This simple, tasty Japanese donburi bowl-rice bowl in Japanese- is a simple stir fry with ground meat and tofu and a scrambled egg.
Quickly made, it can be served over rice or noodles and tastes way better than going out for fast food!
My in-laws came this week. Does that explain why today's post is short? They usually come up from Texas this time of year; so they can go to a Colorado campground for Labor Day and stay there until October.
Our home is their parking ground until they move on.
Luckily, our neighbors never seem to mind this giant RV and pick up truck parked in front of our home, decorating our lawn with colorful electrical cords and water hoses.
For that I am grateful and also for the fact that they can still do this at the age of 82. It seems like A LOT of work to me. So I do what only I can do. I feed them.
Today I am giving you a recipe for donburi, basically a Japanese rice bowl.
Yes, I know there is no rice in the picture. Keep reading... No, this is not what I served the in laws.
This donburi bowl is what I made for my husband and myself the night before they came. It is a filling, quick dish with simple but good flavors.
Healthy and savory, it has been a stand by for those nights I don't feel like cooking much.
In this case, it is quicker than going out and it fills the belly well.
Plus the rabbit catcher likes that it has a lot of protein and not many carbs.
Well, he tries to not eat the noodles. Generally, this dish is served over rice, but I had some organic ramen noodles in the pantry that had a decent amount of protein in them, so I made noodles instead of rice.
I know you will like this recipe. It satisfies and it does it fast.
You could serve it with fruit or a salad or eat it all by its lonesome.
Feel free to jazz up the veggies and use whatever protein you prefer, be it ground pork, beef, chicken or turkey.
It is filling but doesn't leave you stuffed.
And that is a good feeling, because now that the in laws are here, I am stuffed. And tired. And it has only been three days.
Let me just say that next week on the blog, you will see a lot of comfort food. Sweet and not. But good. Very, very good.
Stay tuned...
Recipe
Donburi Bowl
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
This Japanese donburi bowl comes together in minutes, and disappears fast because it is that good!
Ingredients
2 chopped green onions
2 chopped carrots
2 chopped garlic cloves
2 T canola or peanut oil
6 oz ground beef, chicken, pork or turkey
1 14 oz package tofu firm, cut into ½" cubes
¼ lb fresh spinach stemmed or a couple of big handfuls
2 T sugar
4 T soy sauce
Pepper to taste
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Noodles or rice for four
Instructions
Heat oil in skillet. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Saute about 3 minutes over medium heat. Cover and cook over low heat about 5 minutes longer.
Add your choice of meat to the skillet, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat until brown.
Add tofu, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper. Reduce heat and cook on medium low, covered, until spinach begins to wilt. Stir carefully so that the tofu doesn't break. Add eggs to mixture and cook, stirring, about 3-4 minutes.
Spoon over rice or noodles. I also sprinkle with togarashi, a Japanese 7 ingredient, spicy pepper/sesame seed condiment. (You could also top each serving with a fried egg if you don't want to scramble the eggs into the mixture.)
Abbe Odenwalder says
Jeez, M. Did you read the second paragraph? Life isn't all about looking at photos. Especially mine! Thanks for stopping by!
M says
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't donburi a rice dish *by definition*? I mean, it looks great, I'd eat it, but that ain't donburi. It's a noodle bowl.
Tricia Buice says
Wow Abbe - I could eat this at least once a week. It sounds wonderful. Great that your in-laws visit - and I envy the opportunity to travel!
Sarah | The Sugar Hit says
That is so great that they're still getting around like that at 82. I can hardly handle it now. And this looks like just the ticket for a weeknight dinner for two. Perfect.
Amy says
Wow, admire your in-laws for their energy and that they still enjoy life to the fullest.
I love this simple yet scrumptious recipe. I would definitely opt for noodles over rice. 🙂
Laura Dembowski says
This looks awesome! I save all my carbs for dessert, so I use Shirataki noodles. They are virtually calorie and carb free, though they don't have much protein either. But it might be a good alternative for you.
Rebecca Subbiah says
this is my kind of meal
ChgoJohn says
Your In-Laws are a hoot! How wonderful that they've remained so active. Would that we all can say the same later in life. I've seen donburi on menus before, Abbe, but I've never ordered one. If i see it on a menu, chances are I'm getting ready to order sushi. I really like the idea of making it at home. Once the ingredients are assembled, I could have dinner on the table in minutes and that's always a big plus. Thanks for sharing
Abbe Odenwalder says
Then you will love this, Liz. It is a very soothing dish! And quick! Thanks for writing!
Liz Berg says
I love, love Asian noodle dishes...almost as much as I love quick dinner ideas. So this is a winner!
mybizzykitchen.com says
That looks delicious! I hope I have that much energy when I am 82! Have a great weekend Abbe!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Thanks, Biz. I'm going to try! And I think you will like this one!
Kitchen Riffs says
When your in-laws do a road trip, they do a road trip! This is a new dish to me - I've heard of it, but never had it, or even seen it. Nice, simple, flavorful - good stuff! Looking forward to all of the comfort food next week!
Abbe Odenwalder says
Boy, do they! I'm going to need comforting by next week, too!