Shrimp ankake donburi is a very simple dish that’s quite popular in Japanese cooking. It’s a little sweet, salty, umami and the sauce has that typical sticky and starchy texture found in many Chinese stir fries.
Think of it as really good Chinese take out! My version of shrimp ankake donburi isn’t very traditional because I have added a boatload of vegetables: zucchini, potatoes, spinach and onions.
But the ankake flavors are very present! The shrimp and veggies are cooked in a mix of dashi broth, soy sauce, mirin, garlic and ginger. SO tasty and healthy too!
Stir fries are a quick and easy way to make dinner. If you have a busy life but still prefer home made meals to frozen ones, having a few stir fry recipes in your cooking repertoire will come in handy.
What I love about stir fries is that the basic steps are always the same: Start frying garlic (sometimes ginger) with a little oil, throw in your favorite combination of protein and veggies and finish by adding a little sauce.
Ankake donburi is more or less the same as a stir fry (ankake means food covered with a starchy sauce and donburi means rice bowl dish.)
The only difference is that there is more sauce in an ankake donburi than in a regular stir fry and the sauce is thickened with potato starch (katakuriko).
What is also different about this particular ankake donburi recipe is the addition of a potato. Potatoes aren’t an ingredient commonly found in ankake donburi and stir fries though I personally think they should be!
Potatoes absorb the flavor of the sauce so well and can act as a vehicle for it, with every bite taken. I think they are absolutely delicious and complement other vegetables. They also make a meal more filling.
My favorite way to eat this shrimp ankake donburi is over rice and with a side of daikon miso soup and some pickled cucumbers. If you are still hungry for dessert, give this delicious matcha roll cake with fresh blueberries a try!
Shrimp Ankake Donburi (with Zucchini and Potatoes)
This Shrimp Ankake Donburi Recipe is very easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious! Classic Japanese flavors are at the core of this stir fried dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 thumb size ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut bite size
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped bite size
- 12–14 large shrimps
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cup dashi broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- white pepper, optional
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet over medium high heat, add oil, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute, until garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add onions and cook for 3 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Add potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often to prevent the ingredients from burning.
- Add zucchini and shrimp and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add spinach, dashi broth, soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Give the potato starch slurry a stir and add it while stirring. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens (about 1 minute).
- Turn the heat off and serve on top of rice with white pepper.
Notes
This shrimp ankake donburi will keep refrigerated for up to 2 days.
This was delicious, I’m glad I made it. I’m also glad I went to the trouble of making my own dashi from scratch as I can really taste it as the flavorful base of the sauce and as what is truly rounding this dish out. I may use just a bit less dashi and starch next time, as it ended up a bit too soupy-gooey for my personal sensory preference – but it was a delicious soupy goo!
Oh, and btw, though I understood that we’re mean to use 2 tablespoons of water for the slurry, you might want to correct it in the recipe just in case.
Thanks again for the recipe.
Thank you! 🙂