Have you ever heard of a microwave oven that is also a donabe oven?
Do you know what is a donabe? No? Well, you’re not alone. I didn’t know what a donabe was until I received this SHARP Donabe Inverter Microwave Oven – which turned out to be the cutest, most functional microwave oven that I have ever come across in my life. And, no, I’m not exaggerating that. This one truly is as I say it is.
I later learnt that a donabe is a pot that is used to cook food from the Japanese cuisine – similar to what we know on this side of the world as a claypot. Using that same concept, recipes surrounding the claypot can be made using this Donabe oven too! The only difference? This pot cooks inside the microwave oven, instead of over a stove top – and it cooks just the same, if not better.
The concept? Think about the flavour of rice dish that you would like to have, then put your rice, protein, sauces and vegetables all together, and then cook them in a one fuss-free step that is putting the pot in the oven and pressing ‘start’.
First Impressions – where are my knobs?!
The first thing that you will notice on the Donabe oven is that it does not have knobs for time and temperature control. I too was perturbed by this, so I flipped the manual to learn that this oven is not just a microwave oven, it is a SMART one. You don’t really have to think about which temperature and time that you should set it to for every function that you want to use it for, because the oven is able to read it, and decide for you. So, the only thing that is left, is for you to press ‘start’.
However, if you, like me, prefer some control over the oven’s use, then you can still control its functions through manual selection of the process that you would like it to carry out. But even then, it has been made easy. Available functions that you can choose from include: Defrost, Reheat, and Donabe (to tell the oven that you are intending to cook with the Donabe). If you’d like to have even more control over how the microwave operates, you can also manually choose the heat and duration that you would like it to run for.
Just a disclaimer – throughout my use of this Donabe oven for many months, I have not found any need to go completely manual with the oven, because the automatic selections have made it far too easy for me to operate the oven the way I want it.
Is this one worth the buy?
If you own this Donabe Oven, you would no longer need a rice cooker, because the Donabe will cook rice for you as well!
In short, the microwave feature here works like any other standard microwave: reheat or de-frost, and on top of that, you can cook one-pot meals as well.
Is it worth the buy? 100% yes!. This Donabe oven gets a #ravingreviews from me!
Here’s a simple recipe that you can try with the Donabe oven. Step by step guide is also available on my reel here.
Chicken Ginger Rice Recipe:
(1) Prepare 240 gr of boneless chicken thigh
(2) Add 2 tbsp of halal mirin to the chicken
(3) Add 1,5 tbsp of light-color soy sauce to the chicken
(4) Add 1/2 tbsp fish sauce to the chicken, then mix it evenly using your hands!
(5) Cover the chicken tightly with plastic wrap and let it marinate for about 30 minutes
(6) On the claypot, pour 2 cups of washed rice, 1 tbsp dashi powder, and 2 cups of water, then stir it briefly
(7) Add 1 tbsp sesame oil to the rice to make it more delicious
(8) Put the cover on the claypot and then set aside for 30 minutes
(9) After 30 minutes, add 30 gr peeled ginger to the rice
(10) Take the marinated chicken and spread evenly above the rice
(11) Close the claypot and move it to donabe oven (use the settings for cooking 2 cups of rice)
(12) Wait until it is ready to be taken out from the microwave
(13) Last, add a sprinkle of spring onions to the chicken rice, and it’s ready for you to enjoy!
—
Foot note:
I’ve used basmati rice for my cooking in different ways, but I think cooking it with Donabe oven has given me the most delicious outcome. 10/10. If you guys are looking for a new microwave in the market right now, go get this one! It’s a microwave, and it does a lot whole more things too!
