Japanese Chicken & Rice Soup

Japan, I am so sorry for the devastation you have suffered, the loss of human lives and so much more. I feel for you. Nature has been merciless. We had an earthquake here last week, a small one. Because of your tragedy, it shook me more. What you experienced, could happen here in Southern California as well. Emergency kits are now being  prepared in our home. Nature is strong and unpredictable. But life goes on and here is a recipe celebrating Japanese flavors, which I absolutely love.

This soup is so much easier to make than it looks. Honestly. And if you have some leftover rice you can make it in 15 minutes. You can also buy instant rice or even frozen rice many places now. That’ll work too. The inspiration came from Healthy in a Hurry. No one is perfect, not even my current favorite cookbook. The measurements as written do not produce a great result. But the ingredients are just amazing together and amazingly simple and it is such a delicious weekday soup. So here is my adjusted version:

• 2 cups or 5 dl rice
• 6 cups or 1.5 l chicken broth (or water with 2 tbsp chicken bouillon or equivalent cubes)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 6 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp mirin
• 3 large eggs
• 2 chicken breasts
• 8 spring onion

1. Heat or cook the rice and divide into 4 bowls.
2. Bring broth, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium.
3. Cut the chicken into small pieces and add to broth. Cook for 3-4 min.
4. Stir eggs lightly in a bowl and pour gently into the soup. Do not stir for 3 min.
5. Cut the green onions and add to the soup.
6. Now stir the eggs gently. Season with salt if needed. Make sure the chicken is cooked.
7. Pour the soup over the rice bowls and serve.

TIP

To avoid dirtying a chopping board with chicken, I usually just cut the chicken right into the soup with a pair of scissors. Less to clean! Less bacteria to worry about!

April 2 update: I found out that the 1 cup broth only in the original recipe is correct. The dish is supposed to be eaten more like a rice bowl than a soup. My apologies. I prefer the soup. I tried both versions. You can see the original recipe here.