Meat Doria or Rice Gratin is a beloved comfort dish from childhood for many Japanese. We top this casserole of steamed rice and savory meat sauce with cheese, then broil it until golden brown and melty. It’s delicious on a cold day!
Brrr… it’s really cold in San Francisco and we might see its first snowfall tonight in more than 30 years! It’s a perfect day to enjoy some oven-baked food on cold days like these. Today, I want to share Meat Doria (Rice Gratin) recipe.
What is Doria?
In Japan, we call rice gratins “doria.” We sauté vegetables and meat in white sauce or tomato sauce, pour over Japanese steamed rice, and bake it in an oven or toaster oven until golden brown on top (a microwave is not suitable for this task).
Gratins and dorias are my favorite comfort dishes from childhood and also my children’s favorite. I hope you’ll love Meat Doria as much as we do!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Meat Doria uses a tomato-based sauce, so there’s no need to make a white sauce with flour and milk.
- Japanese short-grain rice
- onion, celery rib, carrot, and mushrooms
- ground beef and ground pork
- diced tomatoes
- vegetable stock
- olive oil and butter
- red wine
- seasonings and spices: Diamond Crystal kosher salt, black pepper, sugar, bay leaf, and ketchup
- panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese
How To Make Meat Doria
- Cook the rice. I use a rice cooker but you could cook it in a large saucepan or pot over the stove.
- Meanwhile, prep the vegetables.
- Cook the sauce ingredients. Use a large skillet or pan and cook on medium high or medium heat. Then, simmer to reduce the liquid.
- Assemble in a baking dish. Sprinkle panko and the cheeses on top.
- Broil until golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley.
More Casserole Recipes You’ll Love
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Meat Doria (Rice Gratin)
Meat Doria or Rice Gratin is a beloved comfort dish from childhood for many Japanese. This casserole of steamed rice is topped with a savory meat sauce and cheese, then broiled until golden and melty. It‘s a cozy home-cooked meal that kids and adults will enjoy.
Servings: 4 (to 6 as main dish)
Ingredients
- 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (hot; about 4 cups, 600 g)
For the Meat Sauce
- ½ onion
- 1 rib celery
- 1 carrot
- 6 mushrooms
- 12 oz ground beef and pork combination (preferably 70% beef and 30% pork)
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz, 411 g)
- 3–4 cups vegetable stock/broth (or chicken stock; you need just enough to cover the ingredients when cooking, so you may not use all 4 cups)
For the Seasonings
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 Tbsp red wine
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 3 Tbsp tonkatsu sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (plus more to grease the baking dish)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Toppings
- ¾–1 cup Mozzarella cheese (grated)
- ¾–1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 2–3 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- parsley (fresh, to garnish)
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Start cooking the rice. Please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked white rice, enough for 4 servings. See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Finely chop ½ onion, 1 rib celery, and 1 carrot. Slice 6 mushrooms. Mince some fresh parsley and set aside for garnish.
To Cook the Sauce
- Heat a large skillet on medium high. Then, add 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Add 1 bay leaf and cook until fragrant. Then, add the onion and celery and sauté until soft.
- Add the mushroom and carrot and cook until soft.
- Add 12 oz ground beef and pork combination and 4 Tbsp red wine. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat.
- When the meat is almost cooked, add 1 can diced tomatoes with their juice and ½ tsp sugar. Then, add just enough of the 3–4 cups vegetable stock/broth to cover the ingredients. Don‘t add too much stock; you will need to reduce the cooking liquid until it‘s almost evaporated.
- Add 3 Tbsp ketchup and 3 Tbsp tonkatsu sauce. Bring it to a boil.
- Use a fine-mesh skimmer to skim off the excess fat and foam from the cooking liquid.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer (without a lid) until most of the liquid evaporates. It‘s done cooking if you can see the bottom of the skillet when you draw a line through the sauce with your spatula.
- Add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and season with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.
To Assemble and Broil
- Butter the baking dish(es). Add 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (hot) in an even layer.
- Pour the meat sauce on top of the rice. Then, sprinkle ¾–1 cup Mozzarella cheese (grated) on top, followed by ¾–1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan cheese (grated) and finally 2–3 Tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs).
- Set the oven setting to broil on High. Broil for 2–3 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted and turns a golden color. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition
Calories: 764 kcal · Carbohydrates: 66 g · Protein: 34 g · Fat: 39 g · Saturated Fat: 16 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 16 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 101 mg · Sodium: 904 mg · Potassium: 772 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 12 g · Vitamin A: 3201 IU · Vitamin C: 14 mg · Calcium: 430 mg · Iron: 7 mg
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Editor’s Note: Pictures and recipe updated in September 2012.
Because of various circumstances, I ended up alone on Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to cook some kind of elaborate meal for just me, so this is the recipe I ended up making. Because of the huge volume of veg broth this recipe calls for, you actually end up cooking down the sauce for a long time, which is a very “Thanksgiving-y” experience. This dish was delicious and I’m so glad I chose it.
Hello E.J. Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for choosing Nami’s recipe!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed cooking and a delicious meal!
I love this recipe! Just made it today.
I had doria for the first time at a Japanese cafe in my country and it was so good.
I don’t eat pork so I mixed beef and lamb.
I also skipped the wine because I don’t consume alcohol.
But everything turned out amazing.
I split the meat into 2 portions so I can have curry doria (I just add Japanese curry block) and regular doria.
Definitely will make it again!
Thanks for the amazing recipe, Nami!
Hello, Akmal. Nami and everyone at JOC are happy to hear you loved Nami’s Doria recipes!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and feedback with us.
Happy cooking!
I found this recipe after someone gifted me a personal casserole dish and I was searching for something to cook in it. I’ve made this twice so far and both times enjoyed it so much that I’m always looking forward to the next time I make it! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Peanut! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the Meat Doria!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.😍
Hi, Is it possible to use mince lamb/mutton instead of beef or pork in the recipes which require ground meat such as this one?
Hi aditya! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
We have never tried this recipe with minced lamb but it should work well.
Please let us know how it goes if you try it!😉
Hi Nami and team, I noticed the meat sauce here is quite similar to that of your meat sauce spaghetti recipe. I really enjoyed that and look forward to giving this a go!
Hi Ying! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s posts and trying her recipes!
We hope you enjoy this Meat Doria recipe too.😊
Oh my word! I just made this today. I made it early and planned to have it for dinner. Of course, I needed to taste it, then hubby needed to taste it…….. so we had an early dinner! It is so delicious. Because I am on a low FODMAP diet I prepare sautéed veggies ahead of time to use with dishes like this. I can’t eat onion but am able to use the green tops of the leeks. My sauté mix includes, chopped green leek tops, carrots, celery and green peppers sautéed in garlic infused olive oil. Added some oyster mushrooms and everything else was following the recipe. So yummy, why haven’t I been cooking this all my life?????? lol
Hi Marge! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your story with us.☺️
This was so good! Thank you for this recipe. My whole family loved it. This is definitely going to be a frequent dish. I didn’t have red wine so just added more chicken broth. Easy and delicious.
Hi Joyce, Yay! We are happy to hear your whole family loved it! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback!
Hello Nami!
I love your recipes!!! I return to justonecookbook again and again for inspiration. I made this Meat Doria last night and it was a HUGE hit! Perfect for my 4 year old’s taste buds, but also for the grownups too! I liken it to chili con carne with rice. Despite the rather hefty number of ingredients, making this dish was surprisingly easy. I found I only needed two cups of broth; I simmered for about thirty minutes before most of the liquid had evaporated. I also replaced one tablespoon of ketchup with tomato paste. This will be yet another justonecookbook I’ll return to in the future. Thank you for all your generosity in sharing these wonderful homestyle, Yoshoku Japanese recipes. They are an absolute delight.
Hi Katie, We are glad to hear you enjoyed this Yoshoku, Meat Doria! Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us.🙂