Asahi Super Dry 0.0%:  A Weeknight Beer

Although I have not compared regular and alcohol-free beer in a tasting, I can attest that the Asahi Super Dry 0.0% is crisp, refreshing and hits the spot after a long day. Or a hot day. Or any day.

It can be enjoyed mid-week at 5 p.m. when there are still emails waiting, a few more loose ends to wrap up for the day. After a little beer refreshment break, you can legitimately go back to work.

For me, beer pairs nicely with any Asian food. It cuts through the saltiness. Here’s an easy weekday option: Three-Colored Donburi (Sanshoku Donburi). It helps if you have a rice cooker that can be programmed so the rice is ready at a certain time. The three components to this dish can be made ahead of time and re-heated.

The original cookbook recipe is sweeter than I prefer so I cut back on the sugar.

Three-Colored Donburi (from Hiroko Urakami’s Japanese Family-Style Recipes)

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups short-grain rice (to make 7 cups steamed rice)
7 ounces (200 g) ground chicken or beef (I use beef and double the recipe to have leftovers)
Seasoning for ground meat
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar (I cut the sugar back to 1 to 1-1/2 tbsp)
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp grated ginger
4 eggs, beaten (I double the eggs to have leftovers)
1-1/2 tbsp sugar (I don’t double the sugar)
15-20 snow peas, cut into slivers (frozen peas are easier and tastier)

Directions

1. Cook the rice.
2. Sauté ground meat with the seasoning ingredients (for beef, I drain the oil before adding the seasoning ingredients).
3. Scramble eggs with the sugar.
4. Boil snow peas (regular peas) in lightly salted water and drain.
5. Mound the hot, steamed rice onto four individual serving plates or bowls. On top of each serving, arrange the ground meat, scrambled eggs, and snow peas (or regular peas) into three distinct sections. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4 as a main dish.