Name: Beef soboro don
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 350g beef mince; 60ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce; 40ml (2 tbsp) sake; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 2 cloves garlic,finely grated; black pepper,to taste; steamed Japanese short-grain rice (such as Koshihikari),to serve; 2 eggs,soft-boiled and halved; 150g sugar snap peas or green beans,trimmed and blanched; mizuna or shiso leaves,to serve

easyTime:<30 minsServes:4

Soboro don is pure comfort food and a real crowd-pleaser in my house. Soboro in Japanese means to crumble;here it refers to a protein – fish,meat,eggs or tofu – that’s cooked down to a crumbly texture. I’ve chosen beef mince,but chicken mince is a great alternative. While the traditional don (or bento) would commonly be served with scrambled eggs,I like the simplicity of half a soft-boiled egg. This sweet and salty dish loves the company of blanched vegetables,such as sugar snap peas or green beans. Serve with a leafy green of your choice:mizuna is nice,or shiso for extra flavour.

Ingredients

350g beef mince
60ml (3 tbsp) soy sauce
40ml (2 tbsp) sake
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 cloves garlic,finely grated
black pepper,to taste
steamed Japanese short-grain rice (such as Koshihikari),to serve
2 eggs,soft-boiled and halved
150g sugar snap peas or green beans,trimmed and blanched
mizuna or shiso leaves,to serve

Method

Step1
Place the beef,soy sauce,sake,sugar and garlic in a small-medium saucepan and set over a medium heat. Stir to break up the mince – chopsticks are handy here – and ensure everything is well mixed. Cook the mixture for 3 minutes or until the beef has begun to change colour. Reduce heat to low-medium and cook for a further 5-6 minutes,stirring often,until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated. Season with pepper.
Step2
Spoon some steamed rice into four bowls and top the rice with the beef,half a boiled egg,the sugar snap peas and mizuna or shiso. Season with a little more black pepper and serve.