Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl is a savory breakfast dish that consists of yolky soft-boiled eggs, crispy oven-baked bacon, and Japanese sticky rice. It's a versatile tasty breakfast that can be made for just a couple of people or a whole family.

What is a Rice Bowl or Donburi?

A rice bowl, or donburi in Japanese, is a rice-based dish served in a bowl and topped with simmered meat or vegetables. Rice bowls are a default breakfast, lunch, and dinner dish in our house. When I make rice bowls at home, I typically make a batch of Japanese short-grain rice in my rice cooker, topped with some sort of protein and vegetable.

For dinner, I often make oyakodon, or simmered chicken with egg and onions, and salmon don with broiled salmon and vegetables. For brunch, rice bowls often call for savory breakfast meat, like bacon or sausage, and a yolky egg. While the breakfast bowls are not traditional Japanese donburi, they are a tasty twist with Japanese flavors.

Components of a Breakfast Rice Bowl

Breakfast rice bowls consist of fluffy Japanese short-grain rice, savory breakfast meat or vegetable, and a yolky egg. On top of the main ingredients are seasonings and sauces that compliment the flavors. All of the ingredients, seasonings, and sauces meld together, making each bite flavorful and delectable.

Japanese Short-Grain Rice

I mostly make Japanese short-grain rice and it is the only rice I use for breakfast rice bowls. It is naturally sticky and easy to eat with chopsticks. Additionally, it stays more or less stuck together even when you add a yolky egg, shoyu, or ketchup on top.

Japanese short-grain rice is short in length and more moist than other types of rice. It can be cooked in a pot with a thick bottom or a rice cooker. When I make rice at home, I much prefer using a rice cooker, or suihanki, as it is low-maintenance and yields perfect rice every time.

5-Minute Soft-Boiled Egg

Soft-boiled eggs are my favorite on top of rice or toast. They're easily spreadable and the yolk is both jammy and yolky. A yolky egg is proof that the simplest meals are often the most delicious and high-quality ingredients yield tasty results.

When it comes to selecting which egg type to eat, I only eat pasture-raised eggs. Pasture-raised eggs are laid by hens who have access to pastures outdoors. Since the hens get to eat the critters in the pastures and live a happier life in the clean air, their eggs are full of flavor and vitamins. You can literally see the difference in the yolk, which appears deep orange or almost red depending on where you get your eggs.

My favorite pasture-raised eggs are distributed by Vital Farms, who works with carefully-selected farmers throughout the United States.

Shoyu and Furikake

Shoyu, or soy sauce, and furikake are key elements of Japanese flavor. Both ingredients have countless varieties and flavor profiles.

Shoyu is Japanese soy sauce that is either light (usukuchi) or dark (koikuchi), the latter being the most common type. This ancient sauce is a derivative of soybeans and has been a part of Japanese cuisine for over 2000 years! Shoyu is a necessary ingredient in a breakfast rice bowl, as it lends an incredible amount of umami flavor. If you are gluten-free, you can substitute shoyu for tamari. One of my favorite shoyu brands is Haku, who makes a black garlic shoyu that tastes amazing!

Furikake is a common Japanese seasoning made of nori (dried seaweed), dried fish, sesame seeds, and sugar. There are many different varieties of furikake, including some that have bonito flakes, rice puffs, shrimp, and other bits of umami-packed ingredients.

Ketchup

Ketchup probably seems like a random addition to this rice bowl, but it is an intentional addition of umami flavor. In fact, ketchup, which is made of tomatoes, naturally contain MSG, or monosodium glutamate. MSG is a flavor enhancer that creates umami, or the "fifth taste."

For this Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl, I use Trader Joe's Summer Truffle Ketchup, but you can use any ketchup you love or omit it if you're not a ketchup fan.

How to Make a Breakfast Rice Bowl

Breakfast rice bowls are simple to make and yield a ton of umami flavor. Additionally, you can make as few as two rice bowls or enough for a few people with very few adjustments.

Equipment Needed to Make a Breakfast Rice Bowl

You need minimal equipment to make a Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl. All you need is a  baking sheet, tongs or slotted spoon, pot to boil the eggs, pot or rice cooker to make the rice, and some cute bowls to serve the final dish in.

To explore more kitchen items to make your kitchen complete, head to my shop: Kat’s Kitchen Essentials.

Steps to Make a Breakfast Rice Bowl

1. Make the Rice - Start by making the rice in a pot or a rice cooker. Make sure to use Japanese short-grain rice, as it stays sticky even when topped with egg yolk and shoyu.
2. Bake the Bacon - My favorite way to make bacon is in the oven. It comes out perfectly crisp and flavorful without any splattered oil. Plus, the sprinkle of brown sugar makes it an extra caramelized treat.
3. Boil the Eggs - First, boil a pot of water over medium heat and carefully lower the eggs into the water.  Cook for 5 minutes then remove the eggs from the boiling water and transfer them to a cold bowl of water. Allow the eggs to chill for 2-3 minutes. Once the eggs cool, use a spoon to gently crack the eggs.  Finally, carefully peel off the shell.
4. Assemble and Season - Using a rice paddle or spoon, fluff the rice and divide into serving bowls. Then, place bacon in each bowl. Slice eggs in half lengthwise or leave whole and place them on top of rice. Season each bowl with furikake. salt, and black pepper.  Finally, add a desired amount of ketchup and drizzle with soy sauce. Enjoy immediately.

Did You Like This Recipe?

If you liked Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl, please comment and rate it below! For more brunch and breakfast-for -dinner recipes, check out:

• Shoyu Breakfast Fried Rice and Eggs
• Brioche French Toast with Berries
• Croque-Madame
• Savory Pesto Quiche

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