Japanese Gyudon (Beef Rice Bowl)

Name: Japanese Gyudon (Beef Rice Bowl)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 cups (400 g) Japanese short-grain rice, rinsed until the water runs nearly clear; 2¼ cups (530 ml) cold water, plus extra for rinsing and boiling the eggs; 1 lb (450 g) thinly sliced beef ribeye or chuck, sliced 1/16 inch (1–2 mm) thick, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) strips; 2 medium (about 14 oz) (400 g) medium yellow onions, halved and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) thick half-moons; 1 cup (240 ml) dashi, prepared, at room temperature or warm; 4 tablespoons (60 ml) Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi); 4 tablespoons (60 ml) mirin; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sake; 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon (5 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 4 large (200 g) large eggs, cold from the fridge (optional); 2 stalks (30 g) scallions, thinly sliced; 4 tablespoons (40 g) beni shoga (red pickled ginger), drained; shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice), to taste, for sprinkling (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Tender, paper-thin beef and soft onions simmered in a savory-sweet dashi, soy and mirin broth, then piled over fluffy short-grain rice with a jammy egg. It's a 30-minute-active Japanese comfort meal that tastes like your favorite beef bowl shop.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Wait: 30 min
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Makes: 4 large rice bowls

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the rice
2 cups (400 g) Japanese short-grain rice, rinsed until the water runs nearly clear
2¼ cups (530 ml) cold water, plus extra for rinsing and boiling the eggs
For the beef and onions
1 lb (450 g) thinly sliced beef ribeye or chuck, sliced 1/16 inch (1–2 mm) thick, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) strips
2 medium (about 14 oz) (400 g) medium yellow onions, halved and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) thick half-moons
For the simmering broth
1 cup (240 ml) dashi, prepared, at room temperature or warm
4 tablespoons (60 ml) Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi)
4 tablespoons (60 ml) mirin
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sake
1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 g) fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
For serving
4 large (200 g) large eggs, cold from the fridge (optional)
2 stalks (30 g) scallions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons (40 g) beni shoga (red pickled ginger), drained
shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice), to taste, for sprinkling (optional)

Equipment (8)

2-quart (2 L) saucepan with tight-fitting lid
12-inch (30 cm) deep skillet or sauté pan
Fine-mesh strainer
Small saucepan for the eggs
Sharp chef's knife and cutting board
Instant-read thermometer
Rice paddle or large spoon
Slotted spoon or skimmer

Steps

Before you start

Ask your butcher or an Asian market for beef sliced 1/16 inch (1–2 mm) thick (shabu-shabu or hot pot cut). Or freeze a boneless ribeye for 1–2 hours and slice it as thinly as you can.
Have 1 cup (240 ml) of dashi ready. Stir ½ teaspoon of instant dashi granules into 1 cup of hot water if you don't have homemade.
Rice needs a 20-minute soak, so start it first. You'll prep the beef and onions during the soak.
Use a lidded 2-quart (2-liter) saucepan for the rice and a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet or wide sauté pan for the beef.

1
Rinse and soak rice
- Put the rice in the saucepan and cover with cold water.
- Swirl with your hand and pour off the cloudy water.
- Repeat 4–5 times, until the water is only faintly cloudy.
- Drain well in a fine-mesh strainer, return the rice to the pan, and add 2¼ cups (530 ml) fresh cold water.
- Let it soak for 20 minutes while you prep.
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Ready when: Grains look opaque white and the water is only faintly cloudy
Tip: Don't skip the rinsing. Surface starch makes the rice gluey and heavy under the saucy beef.
2
Prep beef and aromatics
- While the rice soaks, cut the beef slices into 2-inch (5 cm) strips and loosen them so they aren't stuck together.
- Halve the onions and slice them into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons.
- Thinly slice the scallions and grate the ginger.
- Drain the pickled ginger.
- Whisk nothing yet; just keep everything within reach of the stove.
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Ready when: Beef is in loose strips and onions are in even half-moons
Tip: If the beef is partly frozen, it slices more easily. Thaw slightly in the fridge before separating.
3
Cook the rice
- Set the saucepan of soaked rice, uncovered, over high heat.
- Bring to a full boil, about 3 minutes.
- Cover with the lid, turn the heat to low, and cook for 12 minutes.
- Don't lift the lid.
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Ready when: You hear no more bubbling and see steam puffing weakly from under the lid
Tip: Lifting the lid lets steam escape and leaves the top layer undercooked.
4
Rest rice, boil eggs
- Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
- Gently lower in the cold eggs and boil for exactly 6½ minutes for jammy yolks.
- Move to a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes, then peel.
- Skip this step if you prefer no egg.
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Ready when: Peeled egg whites are set and yolks are soft and jammy
Tip: Lower eggs in with a spoon so they don't crack on the pan bottom.
5
Make the broth
- In the 12-inch (30 cm) skillet, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and grated ginger.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: Small bubbles break at the edges and no sugar crystals remain
6
Simmer the onions
- Add the sliced onions to the broth and spread them out.
- Simmer, stirring every 2 minutes, for 8 minutes, until they are soft, translucent, and have soaked up some of the color of the broth.
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Ready when: Onions are soft and translucent, with no raw crunch when you taste one
Tip: Keep the heat to a gentle simmer, not a boil. Hard boiling reduces the broth too fast and makes it salty.
7
Add and cook beef
- Add the beef a handful at a time, using chopsticks or a spoon to separate the strips and push them under the broth.
- Simmer for 3–4 minutes, skimming off any gray foam with a slotted spoon, until no pink remains.
- Taste the broth.
- It should be savory-sweet and not too salty.
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Ready when: Beef is brown with no pink and reaches 145°F (63°C); the broth has reduced slightly and coats a spoon lightly
Tip: Don't overcook. Thin beef turns tough after about 5 minutes in the broth.
8
Assemble and serve
- Fluff the rested rice with a wet paddle.
- Divide it among 4 deep bowls (about 1 cup/ 200 g cooked rice each).
- Top each with a quarter of the beef and onions, then spoon 3–4 tablespoons of broth over the rice.
- Halve a jammy egg onto each bowl, and finish with scallions, a spoonful of red pickled ginger, and a shake of shichimi togarashi.
- Serve immediately.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly glossed with broth and the beef is hot and steaming
Tip: Add broth gradually. Too much will make the rice soggy, and you can always spoon on more at the table.

Good to know

Tips

Slice beef paper-thin and against the grain so it stays tender in the hot broth.
Don't boil the beef hard. A gentle simmer keeps it soft and keeps the broth clear.
For a richer bowl, let the onions simmer a few minutes longer before adding the beef. They should be very soft.
Taste the broth before serving. If it seems too strong for your taste, add 2–3 tablespoons of hot water or dashi.

Make ahead

"Simmer the onions, beef, and broth up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat until hot. Cook the rice and eggs fresh, or reheat leftover rice with a splash of water."

Storage & reheating

"Keep the beef and broth separate from the rice. Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Freeze the beef and broth for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat the beef on the stove over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes until steaming hot. Reheat rice covered in the microwave with 1 tablespoon of water per cup until hot. Don't leave cooked rice at room temperature for more than 1 hour. Store peeled eggs in the fridge up to 2 days (best eaten fresh)."

Substitutions

sake → additional dashi plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. Use 2 tablespoons dashi to replace the sake; the dish will be slightly less deep in flavor.
mirin → 2 tablespoons dry sherry or sake plus 2 teaspoons sugar. Use this to replace the 4 tablespoons of mirin; the broth will taste a bit less glossy.
dashi → low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. Use equal amounts. The broth will be less smoky and more mellow.
thinly sliced beef ribeye or chuck → thinly sliced pork belly or pork shoulder. Cook until the pork reaches 145°F (63°C) and no pink remains, about 1–2 minutes longer.