Keihan (Amami Chicken Rice Soup)
鶏飯（けいはん） · Keihan
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Keihan is a beloved local dish from the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, in the far south of Japan. Shredded chicken, thin strips of egg, sweet-savory simmered shiitake and carrot, and a little nori are arranged over rice, and then a hot, gingery chicken broth is poured over the top. Children love it because the broth softens everything and makes the rice slide down easily, almost like a soup, and every spoonful has a bit of each topping. Here the shiitake, carrot and egg are all done in the microwave, so it comes together with very little fuss.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 27 gchicken breast
- 240 gwater
- 3 ggreen onions
- 16.5 gcarrot
- 2.1 gdried shiitake mushrooms
- 52.5 gwater (for soaking the shiitake)
- 27 gegg
- 0.3 gshredded noriRoasted seaweed sheets cut into fine strips, used as a topping. Substitute: Cut a sheet of roasted nori into thin strips with scissors.
- 165 gwarm cooked rice
Seasonings
- 0.2 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 1.5 gsakeSake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- 2.1 gchicken stock powder (Chinese-style)Japanese granulated chicken bone soup base used for Chinese-style soups and stir-fries. Substitute: Chicken bouillon granules or powder.
- 0.2 gsalt
- 2.1 gsoy sauce
- 3.2 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 2 gsoy sauce (for the sweet-savory simmer)
- 1.4 gmirin (for the sweet-savory simmer)Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 0.8 gsugar
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- sake (酒)
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) is used in small amounts to soften the smell of fish and meat and add depth. Japanese "cooking sake" often contains added salt. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: The same amount of water (the taste will be a little simpler), or dry white wine.
- chicken stock powder (Chinese-style) (鶏ガラスープの素)
- Japanese granulated chicken bone soup base used for Chinese-style soups and stir-fries. Substitute: Chicken bouillon granules or powder.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- mirin (for the sweet-savory simmer) (みりん（甘辛煮用）)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- shredded nori (刻みのり)
- Roasted seaweed sheets cut into fine strips, used as a topping. Substitute: Cut a sheet of roasted nori into thin strips with scissors.
Directions
- 1
[Chicken & soup] Put the chicken breast, water, ginger paste, sake, chicken stock powder and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off any scum, then simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cover and let the chicken cool in the pot, still in the liquid. Once cool, lift out the chicken and shred it finely by hand.
- 2
Add thinly sliced green onions, the soy sauce and the mirin to the broth left in the pot and bring it back to a boil. This is your soup.
- 3
[Sweet-savory shiitake and carrot] Put the dried shiitake and the soaking water in a microwave-safe dish, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave at 1200W for about 1 minute 30 seconds (3 minutes at 600W) to rehydrate. Add the julienned carrot. Check that the liquid comes just under halfway up the ingredients; if there is too much, pour some off, and if there is too little, add a little water.
- 4
Add the soy sauce, mirin and sugar and stir everything together. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving a small gap for steam, and microwave at 1200W for about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes (7 to 8 minutes at 600W). Give it a light stir, then let it cool so the flavors soak in.
- 5
[Microwave egg strips] Crack the egg into a bowl and beat it, cutting through the whites so it is smooth. Lay plastic wrap flat over a plate, pressing out any air bubbles, and pour the egg over it in a thin layer. Microwave until the egg is set, and once it has cooled, cut it into thin strips.
- 6
Mix the toppings into the rice, pour the hot soup over the top, and finish with the shredded nori.
* In our school lunches, we mix the toppings into the rice first and then pour the soup over. At home, eat it whichever way is easiest for you.
* When making the thin egg sheet in the microwave, cooking one egg at a time gives you thinner, finer egg strips.
* Microwave times change depending on how much you are making, so keep an eye on it and adjust as needed.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 358.5 kcal | 717 kcal | 358.5 kcal |
| Protein | 14.9 g | 29.7 g | 14.9 g |
| Fat | 3.6 g | 7.2 g | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 67.5 g | 135 g | 67.5 g |
| Fiber | 4.4 g | 8.7 g | 4.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Calcium | 27 mg | 54 mg | 27 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 310.5 mg | 621 mg | 310.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 358.5 kcal | 14.9 g | 3.6 g | 67.5 g | 4.4 g | 0.9 g | 27 mg | 0.8 mg | 310.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 717 kcal | 29.7 g | 7.2 g | 135 g | 8.7 g | 1.8 g | 54 mg | 1.5 mg | 621 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Cooking for bigger kids? See the elementary-school portion of this recipe.
