There’s something wrong about this.

Sometimes I don't want to eat something because of its name.
Like hummus. When my roommate first asked me if I would like some of her Trader Joe's hummus, I crinkled my nose and asked her, (what) the fuck is hummus? She had a good laugh from that, and when I say a good laugh, I mean rolling-around-the-floor laughing. Apparently, swear words and hummus usually do not go together in a sentence.

Another dish I used to stay away from is the tanin-don. Tanin-don is the beef version of an oyako-don. It is made of thinly sliced beef and onions, simmered in delicious sweet soy broth, then trapped in an omelet. So why do I find it repulsive?
Because tanin-don means 'strangers in a bowl.' There's something wrong about this, in fact, I think it might be illegal in Texas or Louisiana. Also, if you must know, oyako-don means "mother and child in a bowl." You know, because of the chicken and the egg... Oh, never mind.

I eventually got over my disdain for tanin-don because I found that it was a good way to use up left over meat. Sometimes I do it with pork, sometimes I do it with beef... Other times I do it with unagi, although it's rare because Don usually gorges himself when presented with delicious barbecue eel. Plus, everything tastes better when you hide it in an omelet (unfortunately the same can not be said of hummus).

The logistics of making tanin-don is exactly the same as that of an oyako-don. So here's a quick recipe for those of you who aren't so afraid of eating strangers together.

Tanin-don
serves 2

1/2 pound sliced beef (left over raw Korean bbq meat works beautifully)
3 eggs
3 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 stalk leeks (Tokyo Negi), cut into diagonal 2-inch slices
1 tsp grated ginger
3/4 cup dashi broth
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
optional: shichimi pepper

1. Heat a little bit of peanut oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Stir fry sliced beef and leeks until beef is cooked through.
2. Add dashi,sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and ginger. Bring to a boil.
3. Throw in scallions and put on lid. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Don't let all the dashi evaporate!
4. Meanwhile, beat 3 eggs together. Remove the lid and pour in half of the eggs on the outer edges of the sauce pan. Pop lid back on, and let simmer for a minute.
5. Remove the lid and add the rest of the eggs in the center. Put on lid and simmer for another 30 seconds, or until eggs look semi-cooked.
6. Fill a bowl with white rice and scoop some omelet over it, soup and all. Sprinkle some shichimi pepper if you'd like. Then nom.

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Tagged as: donburi, Japanese, recipes