A black pan filled with a mixture of eggs, tofu and onions on a black table with a blue and white towel.

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By all accounts, only taking three classes this term should make this my easiest, most relaxed few weeks of school ever. Yet working part-time, freelancing some articles, traveling, planning more travel, and making cake for fun bachelorette weekends has made for week after hectic (but enjoyable) week, requiring quick and basic comfort–and preferably healthy–food. Functional food. But most preferably delicious. This oyakodon is pretty much literally a miracle 5-ingredient, one-pan weeknight dinner that fulfills all the above requirements. Five ingredients!

My interest in oyakodon was piqued over winter break when my mom and sister ordered oyakodon at a tiny Japanese corner store in Japantown. Since they only offered the traditional chicken and rice bowl, I shared a tempura shrimp rice bowl with my brother while eyeing their delicious-looking mess of egg and rice and soy sauce. When Cynthia shared her version of oyakodon right after New Years, it couldn’t have been better timing. I’ve made it seven times since and I’d like to believe this is more a testament to the dish’s delicious qualities over my lack of creativity due to brain-sucking distractions.

A black counter with a container of miso, a bowl of crumbled tofu, a few whole eggs and an onion on a cutting board.

A slice of bread topped with tofu oyakodon.

After making this so many times–and getting subsequently lazier and lazier and leaving out ingredient after ingredient, I ended up with this boiled down version that I keep coming back to–I think it’s just as tasty, and maybe somehow tastes better with just five ingredients and about 15 minutes of cook time? It yields a custardy pan full of a double dose of protein with soft eggs seeping into the crevices of crumbled tofu, laced with silky onions braised in a salty miso broth that goes most excellently on slightly charred toast. It’s just salty and satisfying and SO EASY.

Even though oyakdon is traditionally a rice bowl served with a chicken and egg mixture on top, I figured if I was deviating with tofu, why not deviate from the rice too? I ate this atop rice for dinner the first few times, but after discovering the combination of chilled, straight-from-the-fridge leftovers on sizzling hot toast, it’s become a toasty, savoy breakfast staple as well.

Two slices of bread topped with tofu oyakodon.

A black pan filled with a mixture of cooked egg, onion and tofu.

A close up on eggs swirled with tofu and onions.

Two slices of bread topped with tofu oyakodon on a white plate.

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Tofu Oyakodon

Erika Kwee

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Ingredients

1 tablespoon miso paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 small onion halved and sliced thin
1 14- oz block tofu crumbled
3 eggs

Instructions

Dissolve the miso paste in 1 cup of hot water. Bring the miso mixture to a boil in a medium skillet along with the soy sauce. Add the sliced onion to the pan, then the crumbled tofu on top. Lower heat to medium and let onions and tofu simmer for 10 minutes.
Beat eggs gently for a few seconds so that yolks are broken up but egg whites are still visible. Drizzle 3/4 of the eggs over the tofu mixture, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Drizzle the rest of the eggs over and cook for another minute until just barely set. Serve immediately over rice or toast.