Soboro is finely chopped or ground meat, fish, egg, or vegetables, seasoned and served mixed in with or sprinkled onto rice. One, two, or more kinds of soboro, served with rice, make a great “one-pot” bento.
Ingredients
Turkey Soboro
- 1 lb (450 g) turkey or chicken, finely ground
- 2 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 4 Tbsp saké
- 4 Tbsp mirin
- ¼ cup (60 ml) chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- beni shoga or gari pickled ginger, for garnish
Egg Soboro
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp saké, optional
Carrot Soboro
- 1 large carrot, finely shredded
- ¼ cup (60 ml) dashi stock
- 1 tsp mirin
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp sugar
How to Make It
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Turkey Soboro
- Put all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Using two pairs of wooden or bamboo chopsticks held together, keep stirring the meat mixture as it cooks. (Using two pairs of chopsticks makes the meat more finely grained. You can also use two forks held together.) The liquid will gradually evaporate.
- Keep mixing vigorously to keep the meat from clumping. Remove from the heat when the liquid is almost gone, but before the pan is totally dry. Let cool before packing. Garnish with pickled ginger.
- This keeps in the refrigerator, well covered, for a week, and in the freezer for up to a month. Just divide into individual portions and store pressed flat in freezer bags. Egg Soboro
- Beat all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour into a small pan over medium heat. Using two pairs of wooden or bamboo chopsticks held together, or two forks, keep stirring the egg mixture vigorously as it cooks to form fine granules.
- It should look like dry scrambled egg. As soon as the egg mixture has cooked, remove from the heat. Let cool before packing. Carrot Soboro
- Put all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the carrot is tender. Drain and cool before packing. Green Bean Soboro
- Chop up some fresh or frozen green beans, and boil in salted water until crisp-tender. Basic White or Brown Rice
- Have hot precooked rice ready to go. Either set the timer on your rice cooker the night before so that the rice is ready in the morning or defrost some precooked frozen rice in the microwave.
