Gyudon

Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl)

A classic Japanese one-bowl meal: thinly sliced beef and sweet onion simmered in a soy-mirin-dashi broth and served over fluffy steamed rice. Weeknight-quick and deeply savoury-sweet.

Prep

10 min

Cook

15 min

Total

25 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (1 lb 5 oz) thinly sliced beef for gyudon, fatty cut such as chuck roll or brisket, sliced paper-thin; freeze 30 min for easier slicing if cutting at home
• •300 g (10½ oz) Japanese short-grain rice, rinse until water runs clear
• •1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced against the grain
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) dashi, kombu + katsuobushi dashi for best flavour; instant dashi powder dissolved in water is the standard home substitute
• •100 ml (scant ½ cup) soy sauce, Japanese koikuchi shoyu
• •100 ml (scant ½ cup) mirin, hon-mirin
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) sake, cooking sake, or null
• •10 g (2 tsp) grated fresh ginger
• •5 g (1 tsp) grated garlic, optional, common in chain-style gyudon
• •1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
• •2 stalks shredded green onion, for garnish, optional
• •1 piece shichimi togarashi, Japanese seven-spice, for serving, optional
• •1 pack tsukudani nori or seasoned seaweed, optional garnish, omit if unavailable

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the rice in cold water 4–5 times until the water runs almost clear. Drain, add to a heavy pot with 360 ml (1¼ cups + 2 tbsp) water, cover and soak 20 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to the lowest setting, cook 12 minutes, then rest off-heat (lid on) for 10 minutes. Fluff.
2. 2 While the rice cooks, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, ginger and garlic in a wide heavy skillet or donabe. Add the sliced onion in a single layer.
3. 3 Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat and cook the onion 3–4 minutes until just translucent but still holding its shape.
4. 4 Spread the sliced beef over the onion in loose handfuls, drizzling a little broth over each layer so it stays submerged. Simmer gently 4–5 minutes, turning once, until the beef is just cooked through and still tender — it should look pale grey-brown, not brick-red, with no pink juices when a thick piece is cut.
5. 5 Skim any excess foam or surface fat if desired. Taste and adjust: a drop more mirin for sweetness, a splash more soy for saltiness.
6. 6 Divide the hot rice between 4 bowls (about 150 g / ¾ cup cooked rice each). Ladle the beef and onion over the rice, then spoon 2–3 tablespoons of broth over each bowl.
7. 7 Top with shredded green onion, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, a pinch of shichimi togarashi, and a small strip of seasoned nori if using. Serve immediately while piping hot; raw or runny egg on top is traditional but the egg must be a fresh, pasteurised-grade egg served the same day if not fully cooked.