I began growing garlic chives (nira) in my garden in 2010, and as they proliferated I began to wonder what I could do with them besides chop small amounts to garnish dishes with. I tried a few recipes but they were all kind of labor intensive for what the end result was. I gave up for a while and the chives continued to grow.
Fast forward to a couple of years ago, when I was browsing Namiko Chen's Just One Cookbook, when I found her Niratama Donburi recipe. I really like eating eggs and rice together, and it would use up a significant amount of my chives at once, and be relatively quick and easy, so I gave it a try.
It is quick, filling, and satisfying. The savory flavors work really nicely together. I am so pleased. It is one of my go-to recipes for a quick meal when I have chives in the garden.
To make this recipe work the best it can, use a bowl-shaped/wok like pan rather than one with a wide/flat bottom, be sure your pan is hot enough before you try to cook the egg mixture, and do not try to reduce the amount of oil. The puffy texture of the egg you want is from it cooking in enough oil to essentially deep fry.
Some substitutions/variations/additions I have tried:
- Brown short grain rice, and white or brown jasmine rice. I personally have come to love the texture of brown rices, so if you like it in other applications, you'll probably like it here too.
- Sauteed leek instead of garlic chives when I was really desperate. It's a little sweeter and less visually appealing, not quite as good but scratched the itch. Green onions or regular chives would probably be too sharp unless you significantly reduced the amount.
- Drizzling sesame oil and/or soy sauce over the top of the finished dish.
