Japaneats その3 - 丼 (どんぶり - Donburi)

丼, which basically refers to "a bowl of rice with stuff on top" is probably the last thing that springs to mind when most people think of Japanese food - it's hearty, inexpensive stodge that's a far cry from the delicate sophistication of 寿司 (すし - sushi). As I haphazardly introduce all the national staples to you through Japaneats though, you'll hopefully see both sides of the coin. Japan (and its food) reminds me of a scene in Titanic a little bit - quiet culture and refinement on one level and a whole bunch of boisterous singing, dancing and revelry downstairs.

丼 can refer to any number of dishes that generally subscribe to the same idea - a big bowl of rice with meat on top, usually with a sweet, light sauce poured over it (although there are exceptions). The three most common versions I'll focus on are カツ丼 (かつどん - katsudon), 親子丼 (おやこどん - oyakodon) and 牛丼 (ぎゅうどん - gyudon). As you might have guessed, when the kanji 丼 is written by itself, it's usually read as どんぶり (donburi), but when it's put on the end of another word, it's shortened to どん (don).

カツ丼 (above) is a deep-fried pork (or occasionally chicken) schnitzel ("カツ" is a Japanese contraction of the word "cutlet") chopped up into strips and cooked with beaten egg, onion and a sweet stock. It's cooked in a small, shallow saucepan that looks a bit like a ladle or a big spoon with a wooden handle. Once the egg is just set to about the consistency of scrambled eggs, the mixture is served on top of a bowl of rice.

Just for interest's sake, カツ is also used in カツカレー (katsukare- - cutlet curry) where it's chopped up and served in sweet beef curry with rice, and in とんかつ (tonkatsu - "pork cutlet") where it's served on its own with a fruity barbeque sauce (above).

Along the same lines is 親子丼, almost identical to カツ丼 but with chicken breast instead of a schnitzel. It's somewhat unfortunately named though - 親子丼 means "parent and child on rice" which may put you off eating chicken and egg together a little bit. It's delicious nonetheless, and a good option for people who want all of the 丼 with less of the deep fried, or aren't keen on red meat. Another step down on the meat scale is 卵丼 (たまごどん - tamagodon - "egg on rice") which is the same thing again but without the chicken. In all cases, the best way I can come up with to describe these 丼 is like a sweet, salty, oniony omelette (mixed up with crispy schnitzel, chunks of chicken or neither). Whichever you choose, it's a quick and filling meal, perfect for wintery days. The sweet stock sinks through into the rice as well, making sure there are no boring bits to eat at the end.

Sharing the name but on a slightly different track is 牛丼, sometimes translated as "beef bowl" and most famous perhaps for how cheap it is. It's essentially shaved pieces of beef cooked up in the same stock with onions, but without the egg.

There are several famous chains in Japan that specialise in 牛丼 (best known are 吉野家 - よしのや - Yoshinoya and 松屋 - まつや - Matsuya), where you can expect to pay about 270 yen (around $3) for a basic 牛丼 and be served your meal almost instantaneously - perfect if you want a very quick and simple meal. Some shops even provide space for you to stand at the bar and eat, if sitting down is going to take too long! Personally I prefer to get a table and take my time, but it might suit the type of サラリーマン (sarari-man - salary man) who allows himself a two minute lunch break before getting back to work! You can recognise the "big two" by their distinctive signs and colour schemes below. Some of them are even open 24 hours.

There are all kinds of other 丼 as well, which I'm sure you'll discover if you come over for a visit. 刺身丼 (さしみどんぶり - sashimidonburi), for example, encompasses a variety of 丼 with pieces of raw fish (and sometimes even raw prawns/scallops) on rice. This is one of the few occasions when the two food worlds collide - sophistication and simplicity. There's no rule to say the posh passengers can't loosen their ties and join in the fun occasionally, after all. Make sure you do too - grab yourself some 丼 and see how the other half live.