The mere mention of Japanese food can evoke such diverse reactions as, “yuck, raw fish” to “mmm, I love sushi”, but the association with sushi is always the common factor. However, sashimi and sushi are not the only Japanese dishes out there and, although these days more restaurants are cropping up in London serving cuisine such as okonomiyaki and yakitori, most Japanese dishes continue to remain a mystery to the West. Being half-Japanese, I’ve grown up eating a variety of Japanese home-cooked meals and my absolute favourite is a type of rice dish called donburi – in particular, a recipe called oyakodon.

Oyakodon is something of a pun meaning mother and child dish as it takes its name from the two principal ingredients, chicken and egg. It’s pure comfort food and, as colder days are rapidly approaching, it’s a perfect winter-warmer meal. Here’s how to make it:

Pre-cook and set aside some short-grain, glutinous, sticky Japanese rice. You can buy it in Asian food shops or possibly use risotto rice instead, although really there is no substitute for Japanese rice. About 130g per person should do it.

Next you’ll need about 50g of chicken per person, ¼ leek, 75ml of fish stock called dashi and 20ml soy sauce. The chicken and leek should be cut into bite-size pieces then all these ingredients can be placed in a frying pan to cook until it boils.

You’ll need one egg per person, whipped up and then poured gently over the mix in the frying pan. Cover the surface and bring it to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave the mixture to settle for a couple of minutes.

Finally pour the whole mixture – carefully! – over the rice. Garnish with some chopped dried nori seaweed and you’re ready to dig in! Use chopsticks for an authentic feel and don’t forget to say the Japanese equivalent of ‘thanks for the grub’ – ‘itadakimasu!’.