Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)
Gyudon or Japanese beef bowl is a sweet and savory Japanese beef dish that's also synonymous with comfort. This beef rice bowl is super easy and quick to make. You can have dinner or lunch ready in 10 minutes! Perfect for any weekday meal.
Ingredients
- ½ pound thinly sliced beef ribeye or chuck eye
- ½ large yellow onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup water
- 4 tablespoons mirin
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (light sodium)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon hondashi powder
- 2 cups cooked white rice (hot, more or less to your preference)
- 2 large egg yolk (or onsen eggs, optional)
- Pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami shoga, optional)
- Green onion (thinly sliced, optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan or any pan with tall sides, add all the ingredients for the sauce (water, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and hondashi powder). Give everything a stir and add the sliced yellow onions.
- Cover the pan and bring everything to a simmer over medium heat.
- Once the sauce is simmering, add the thinly sliced beef on top of the onions. Spread the beef as evenly as possible.
- Let the beef cook until no longer pink and if you prefer, skim off the scum. Remove from heat.
- Portion the beef and onion amongst two bowls of rice and pour your desired amount of the sauce over everything.
- Serve the gyudon with a raw egg yolk or an onsen tamago (Japanese hot spring egg) and garnish with some pickled red ginger and sliced green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Use beef with good marbling for better flavor and tenderness. Don’t overcook the beef; it should just turn brown and remain tender. Prepare extra rice in case there is leftover flavorful sauce. Skim off any scum for better presentation and a cleaner taste.