Description
Gyudon is a classic Japanese beef rice bowl featuring thinly sliced ribeye simmered with onions in a savory-sweet dashi-based sauce, served over fluffy Japanese short-grain rice and garnished with pickled red ginger for a perfect balance of flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Beef and Vegetables
- 1/2 onion (4 oz, 113 g), thinly sliced
- 1 green onion/scallion, thinly sliced diagonally
- 1/2 lb thinly sliced beef (such as ribeye)
Sauce
- 1/2 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) - use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi
- 2 Tbsp sake (or substitute dry sherry, Chinese rice wine, or water for non-alcohol version)
- 2 Tbsp mirin (or use 2 Tbsp sake or 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 or 250 g cooked rice per serving)
- Pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga), for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Thinly slice ½ onion and slice the green onion/scallion diagonally. Partially freeze the beef to make slicing easier, then cut the semi-frozen meat into 3-inch wide pieces.
- Make the Sauce and Arrange in Pan: In a large frying pan (off heat), combine ½ cup dashi, 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the onion slices evenly in the broth, separating the layers.
- Add the Beef: Spread the thinly sliced beef evenly over the onions, separating the slices to cover the pan evenly.
- Cook: Cover the pan with a lid and turn heat to medium. When it starts simmering, reduce heat to low and cook covered for 3–4 minutes. Occasionally open the lid to skim off any scum or fat from the broth using a fine-mesh skimmer.
- Add Green Onions and Finish Cooking: Sprinkle the sliced green onions on top and cook, covered, for another minute. Optionally, beaten eggs can be added at this stage if desired.
- Serve: Divide cooked Japanese short-grain rice into bowls. Drizzle some pan sauce onto the rice, then add the beef and onion mixture. Optionally drizzle more sauce on top and garnish with pickled red ginger. Enjoy immediately.
- Store Leftovers: Store any leftover beef and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days or freeze for up to 3–4 weeks.
Notes
- For a Kansai Sukiyaki-style gyudon variation: stir-fry onions in a tablespoon of oil until tender, add beef and sugar, then stir to combine. Add sake, mirin, soy sauce and cook until beef is no longer pink. Optionally drizzle beaten egg over beef and cook covered until set. Top with green onions and serve over rice.
- Partially freezing the beef makes it easier to slice thinly and uniformly.
- Use pickled red ginger to add a refreshing acidic contrast to the rich beef bowl.
- Gyudon sauce uses dashi for umami depth but can be made vegan by using vegan dashi alternatives.
- For a non-alcoholic version, substitute sake and mirin with water plus a bit of sugar.
