Bacon and Egg Don

Updated April 19, 2024

Bacon and Egg Don
Matt Taylor-Gross for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(775)
Comments
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In the pantheon of comforting donburi (Japanese rice bowl dishes like katsudon, oyakodon and gyudon), bacon and eggs aren’t traditional toppings by any means, but they sure hit the spot. Eggs, soft-scrambled in the bacon fat with mirin and soy sauce, serve as a gently sweetened duvet for the rice and a counter to the salty bacon. Mirin, the Japanese rice wine, does a lot of work here to take ordinary eggs and rice to restaurant-flavor heights. To level up the rice, stir in 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon mirin while fluffing it. A sprinkle of furikake (rice seasoning) and shichimi togarashi (seven-spice blend) might feel like gilding the lily, but their nuanced savoriness completes this dish.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 1cup medium-grain white rice, such as Calrose
  • 3slices thick-cut bacon (5 ounces), halved crosswise
  • 4large eggs
  • 1tablespoon mirin
  • 1teaspoon soy sauce
  • Furikake and shichimi togarashi, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

785 calories; 36 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 79 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 29 grams protein; 835 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water, shaking constantly, for just a few seconds. Add to a medium pot with 1½ cups cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to very low, cover and continue simmering without peeking for 17 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Remove from the heat, and as quickly as you can, open the lid, cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel and tamp on the lid again. Let the rice finish steaming, covered, until the grains are soft, distended and a little shiny, at least 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While the rice steams off heat, cook the bacon and eggs: In a cold skillet, lay the bacon in a single layer; add 1 tablespoon cold water and place over medium heat. Cook the bacon, flipping occasionally and lowering the heat if needed, until very crispy and the fat is evenly browned and no longer white, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet.

  4. Step 4

    In a bowl, stir the eggs, mirin and soy sauce to combine. Add to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and vigorously with a flexible spatula for the first 30 seconds then occasionally, so you end up with large curds, 2 to 3 minutes. The eggs should be set but still wet on top. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid to continue steaming in the residual heat, just a few seconds.

  5. Step 5

    Uncover your steamed rice and fluff with a fork. Divide the rice between a couple of bowls and dust with furikake. Now divide the eggs between the bowls, followed by the bacon and a sprinkle of togarashi.

Ratings

4 out of 5
775 user ratings
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Comments

I've written this note before but want to share it here, again. Do not be fooled by Aji-Mirin. Aji-Mirin literally means "Mirin like" and is not true Mirin and barely tastes like it. Mirin has a slight alcohol content so, depending on your area, your grocery may not be able to carry it. I'll make this variation soon as I'm really loving Eric and J. Kenji's contributions to the Times. Kudos, gentlemen. But, without a doubt, I'm adding Chili Crisp. IMO - Lao Gan is the PERFECT chili crisp.

Variations of this dish have been popular in Hawaii forever, both with the "elevated" ingredients and other substitutions. One obvious sub is Spam instead of bacon, but also adding sugar instead of mirin. This is comfort food if you're a rice eater for sure. Calrose rice is a minimally-acceptable grade, but I recommend commonly-available upgrade picks like Nishiki and Kokoho (pink).

Forever indeed!! ONE of the solutions to the quandary of what do do with the leftover rice from last night [the other being fried rice]? This is a pretty high-brow recipe. If you're cooking FRESH rice to make this, you're either an avid reader of NYT Cooking,....or homesick for comfort food from back home. Go for the Spam!!

I feel this is not primary definition of "recipe" in the culinary world refers to instructions for creating food. Lacking of creativity and do not meet the standards of a recipe.

Question-in the video, what did Eric pour into the cooked rice?

To level up the rice, stir in 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon mirin while fluffing it!

Everyone in my family LOVED this dish! I have 3 kids and rarely can I find a dish that all three of them eat up. We made it with basmati rice in the Instant Pot which worked great. The kids requested more eggs next time. Served with sautéed green beans with butter and miso. Will definitely be making again

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