Japan History and Culture

Donburi (丼ぶり)
The Donburi is basically known as a fast-food lunch, literally means “bowl”. Sometimes this dish is called simply “don” may be added as a suffix to indicate a donburi dish.

The Donburi is a Japanese dish of boiled rice with topped (meat, fish, eggs or vegetables).Donburi meals are served over rice in big bowls. The various Donburi choices vary largely in their toppings. The topping served on each donburi is reflected by its name in the menu, topping preferences vary by region, even by town, and by season.

Variety of donburi

Tamagodon or Tamagodonburi (玉子丼) is  a scrambled egg mixed with sweet donburi sauce on rice.

Oyakodon or Oyako Donburi(親子丼)The name of this popular donburi dish comes from its two main ingredients, literally “parent-and-child rice bowl “, the bowl with simmered chicken together with egg and green onion or other on rice. a good simmering sauce often based on dashi, flavoured with soy sauce and mirin(Japanese rice wine) then all is poured on top of both of rice .The parent-and-child rice bowl is a poetic reflection of the fact that both chicken and egg are used in the dish. In Japan, oyakodon is often served in soba restaurants and the shop can add Japanese pickles (tsukemono) by free.

Katsudon (カツ丼),Tonkatsu donburi or Pork cutlet rice bowl , is a popular Japanese dish consisting of a deep fried breaded pork cutlet (Tonkatsu) with onions and egg on top of rice. The dish has become a modern ritual tradition for Japanese students to eat katsudon the night before taking a major test or school entrance exam because The Japanese word “katsu” is a homophone of the verb katsu (勝つ) ,literally meaning “to win”.

Tenshindon (天津丼) is a Chinese-Japanese specialty, consisting of a crabmeat omelette on rice, this is called天津飯 tenshinhan, named for Tianjin, China.

Tekkadon or Tekka Domburi (鉄火丼) is basically thin sliced raw tuna served on rice with seaweed(nori), wasabi and ginger. Many Japanese restaurants serve chirashi, which is the same thing with assorted seafood in place of the tuna, but very few seem to have tekkadon.

Negitorodon (ネギトロ丼, ねぎとろ丼) is a green onion and diced toro (fatty tuna or raw tuna fish) and negi (spring onions) over a bowl of rice.

Tendon or Tempura Donburi (天丼) is tempura shrimp are deep fried pieces of battered seafood and vegetables, dipped in soy sauce, served on top of the rice. Various tempura pieces are dipped into based sauce before served on top of the rice.

Gyudon or Gyuniku Donburi (牛丼),literally “beef bowl” is a Japanese dish consisting  broiled beef and onion simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavoured with soy sauce, mirin, salty flavour and sake giving the dish a sweet on top of the meat, it is commonly served with beni shoga (pickled ginger),shichimi(red chilli mix), and a side dish of miso soup. Other side dishes are salad and kimchi. Tea and water are offered for free with refill jugs available on the table for customers to serve themselves. Many chain restaurants (gyudonya) specialize in gyudon making it an informal, inexpensive dining option frequented by students, ideally suited to travellers on a budget and often open 24 hours.

Unadon or Unagi Donburi (鰻丼), literally “eel bowl”, this combo is popular in the summer, because the Japanese believe eating eel is good for you in the hot weather,this is also the time of year when the eel fishing is at its peak.Unadon is a rice topped with pieces of grilled eel(unagi no kabayaki,鰻の蒲焼) coated with a thick glaze of soy sauce and  sweet sauce(soya), sprinkled with sansho.

Chukadon (中華丼) or gomoku-chukadon (五目中華丼),literally meaning “Chinese rice bowl”, is a popular Japanese fast food dish. It consists of stir fried assorted vegetables, onions, mushrooms with some meat over rice in a big bowl. not traditionally Japanese or Chinese, the hybrid dish indicates the popularity of donburi in Japan.