Recipe/Directions for Chicken and Mushroom Doria (Japanese Creamy Rice Gratin)

Directions

Cut the chicken up into small bite-size pieces, sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Thinly slice the onion vertically. Remove the hard base from shiitake mushrooms and thinly slice up. Chop the green onions into small rounds.
Melt the butter from (A) in a 26 cm (10.2 in.) fry pan over medium heat, add in the panko breadcrumbs and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 3 minutes until browned, then remove from the fry pan.
Quickly wipe the fry pan clean, heat the butter over medium heat. Add in the onions and saute for 3 minutes, once softened add in the chicken and saute together. When the meat is browned, add in the shiitake mushrooms, quickly saute, then use a circular motion to add in the soy sauce and sake, and saute all ingredients.
Sprinkle in the flour and saute until well blended.
Add in the milk in 4 separate portions, stirring each time.
Once the mixture thickens, add in the rice, quickly stir and arrange so that some ingredients are visible on the surface.
Cover the entire surface with the shredded cheese, cover with a lid and steam-fry for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, sprinkle on the crispy breadcrumbs and the green onion.

Checkpoints

Thinly sliced onion

[Thinly sliced along the grain]
Cut the onion with its outer skin removed vertically in two. Then insert the knife in a V-shape to remove the stems, and thinly slice cut-side down vertically along the grain from end to end. This cutting method is often used for sautéing or boiling.

Movie

[Thinly sliced against the grain]
Cut the onion with its outer skin removed vertically in two. Then insert the knife in a V-shape to remove the stems, and thinly slice cut-side down at right angles to the grain from end to end. This cutting method is recommended for raw consumption.