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1
Steam the rice by the absorption method. Transfer the freshly cooked rice immediately to a bowl; it must be used at once. The rice is ready when it is very hot to the hand held near the surface and each grain is distinct.
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2
If using butter, place it on the hot rice now and allow it to melt completely before proceeding. Separate the egg. Pour the white directly onto the rice and stir vigorously — the heat of the rice gently warms the white without cooking it through. This is where the dish lives or dies: the rice must be hot enough to warm the egg and render it cohesive, yet not so prolonged in its heat that the egg scrambles; if the rice has cooled or is reheated, the white will congeal in uneven clots rather than forming a silky coat. Stir until the rice becomes slightly cohesive and the white is no longer clearly distinct.
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3
Nestle the yolk into the centre of the stirred rice. Add the tamari or usukuchi soy sauce around the edge of the bowl — not directly onto the yolk. Bring the bowl to the table with the yolk intact.
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4
Break the yolk at the table and stir the entire bowl vigorously until every grain is coated and the rice takes on an even golden-yellow colour. The finished bowl should smell of warm egg and rice, with a background of soy — not of soy alone. Eat immediately.