Description
Gyudon is a classic Japanese beef rice bowl featuring thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a savory dashi-based sauce with sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Served over steamed Japanese short-grain rice and garnished with pickled red ginger, this comforting dish is quick to prepare and perfect for a hearty meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1/2 onion (4 oz, 113 g), thinly sliced
- 1 green onion/scallion, sliced diagonally
- 1/2 lb thinly sliced beef (such as ribeye), cut into 3-inch pieces
Sauce
- 1/2 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 2 Tbsp sake (or substitute with dry sherry, Chinese rice wine, or water for non-alcohol version)
- 2 Tbsp mirin (or use 2 Tbsp sake/water + 2 tsp sugar)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
For Serving
- 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (about 1 2/3 cups / 250 g per serving)
- Pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga), for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Thinly slice the onion and diagonally slice the green onion/scallion. Cut the semi-frozen beef into 3-inch wide pieces to ensure tenderness and ease of cooking.
- Make the Sauce and Combine: In a large frying pan (unheated), combine the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.
- Add Onion and Beef: Spread the sliced onions evenly in the broth in the pan, separating the layers. Distribute the sliced beef on top, separating the slices so the meat fully covers the onions.
- Simmer: Cover the pan with a lid, turn heat to medium, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 3–4 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and beef to cook through.
- Skim Fat and Add Green Onions: While simmering, occasionally lift the lid to skim off any scum or excess fat with a fine-mesh skimmer. Sprinkle the green onions on top and cook for an additional minute, covered.
- Serve: Place cooked Japanese short-grain rice into individual bowls. Drizzle some pan sauce over the rice, then top with the beef and onion mixture. Add extra sauce if desired and garnish with pickled red ginger. Enjoy immediately.
- Storage: Store any leftover beef mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2–3 days or freeze for 3–4 weeks.
Notes
- For a Kansai-style variation, stir-fry onions first with a tablespoon of oil, then add beef and sugar, followed by sake, mirin, and soy sauce, cooking until beef is no longer pink.
- Optional beaten eggs can be added near the end of cooking by drizzling them over the beef and cooking until just set.
- Using semi-frozen beef makes slicing easier and helps maintain meat texture.
- Adjust sugar in sauce to taste depending on desired sweetness.
- To reduce alcohol content, substitute sake and mirin with water and extra sugar as noted.
