Obihiro Butadon (Pork Rice Bowl) / Japan

What kind of dish is this?

This is a pork rice-bowl, a type of Teriyaki, which originated in Hokkaido, Japan.

Obihiro Butadon & Tkachi Butadon

・Obihiro = Obihiro City
・Buta = pork
・Don = rice bowl
In Obihiro city, which is the central city of the Tokachi region, it is called “Obihiro Butadon”.
Outside Obihiro in the Tokachi region, it is called “Tokachi Butadon”.

History

It was created in 1933 as a dish for farmers and pioneers.
It was developed by the owner of Panchou, a diner in Obihiro City.
Initially, he wanted to make a dish using eels, but eels were too expensive.
Since Obihiro had a large number of pigs, he used the eel Kabayaki as a reference point for cooking pork.
The sauce is easy to make.

Spread

Unlike today, cooking utensils were expensive in those days, and there were only a limited number of things an average household could own.
The limited number of cooking utensils meant that there was a limit to the number of dishes that could be made.
On top of that, the year before Butadon was born, 1932, was a bad harvest, but in 1933, the year of the birth of the pork bowl, there was a great harvest.

Cooking equipment is limited. But they have been able to secure rice.
They can’t buy eels, but they have pork.
All they have to do is grill the pork, prepare the sauce, and put it on rice.
It has become popular in many households because it’s a dish that doesn’t require special cooking equipment and is easy for anyone to make and delicious.
I couldn’t find a clear record of why it became popular, so this part is my guess.

Chain restaurant’s Butadon

In modern Japan, most people think of the stewed Butadon at Gyudon chain restaurants.
However, Obihiro’s Butadon is not stewed like the chain restaurants, but grilled, inspired by the eel, Kabayaki.
This is probably the biggest difference between the two.
Incidentally, Butadon used to be recognized as the local cuisine of Obihiro, but after the BSE problem in 2003, the number of people who think of Butadon as a stewed dish like Gyudon has increased. I am one of them.

Thoughts

It tastes great, of course.
Each local restaurant has its own specialties, but you can make it absolutely delicious if you take it easy and don’t think about it too hard.
The dish is inspired by Kabayaki, so it’s going to be even better if you grill it over charcoal.

Recipe of Obihiro Butadon

Local Recipe

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Prep Time 2 mins

Cook Time 8 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

No.1

• 150 g pork loin / thinly sliced

No.3

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 0.5 tbsp mirin

Others

• Free cooked rice
• Free green onion

Instructions

 

• Make a few cuts in the pork.
• Cook the pork on both sides. Remove.
• Add the soy sauce, sugar and mirin to the same pan. Cook until thicken slightly.
• Return the pork to the pan. Cook until the pork is cooked to your liking.
• Place the pork on the rice. Pour the sauce to your liking. Garnish with leeks.

  Finished.

Notes

・This is an extremely easy recipe.

・I made number 3 and 4 fairly quickly. So the viscosity of the sauce is low.

Keyword pork, rice