Sanshoku don (three-color rice bowl)

Put half a pound of ground meat in the pan with 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon sake, 1/2 tablespoon mirin, a sprinkle of powdered dashi, a couple tablespoons of water and about a teaspoon of sugar, without browning or breaking up the meat first.

Break up the meat as it simmers in the liquid so it ends up a very fine grind.

Mince a couple of slices of young ginger, unpeeled, and add it; keep breaking up the meat.

Beat two eggs with a little mirin and a pinch of salt.

Cook the meat until the moisture has evaporated and the sound turns from simmering to a sharp crackle of frying, so it starts to brown; taste and season heavily, because the rice is unseasoned.

Wipe out and reheat the wok, add the eggs and cook until loosely set but still moist, taking them out a little early since they keep cooking.

Bring a little water to a simmer, add the frozen peas and heat until no longer frozen in the centre, by the time it returns to a bare simmer; drain.

Cook Japanese short grain rice at 1.1 parts water to one part rice by volume in a rice cooker.

Put rice in a bowl or bento box and lay the egg, meat and peas on top in sections, the egg in strips, triangles or pie wedges.

Garnish with scallions.