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Japanese Beef bowl (Gyū-don) is a popular one-bowl dish that consists of a bowl of rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in sweet soy-flavoured sauce. It is so quick to make, tasty and filling – a perfect mid-week family meal.
Japanese Beef Bowl (Gyū-don)
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

Japanese Beef bowl (Gyū-don) is a popular one bowl meal that consists of a bowl of rice topped with thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in sweet soy-flavoured sauce. It is often accompanied by red pickled ginger in the centre. It is so quick to make, tasty and filling – a perfect mid-week family meal.

Recipe Type: Main, Rice
Cuisine: Japanese
Serves: 2
Author: Yumiko
Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)
  • 200 g (7oz) very thinly sliced beef (note 1)
  • ½ large onion (about 130g), cut into 1cm wide wedges
  • 300 ml (10oz) dashi stock
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 x cooked rice in a large serving bowl (about 200g per bowl)
Garnish (optional)
  • Finely chopped shallots (scallions)
  • Pickled red ginger (note 2)
Instructions
  1. If beef slices are large, cut them into bite-sized pieces.

  2. Add dashi stock, sake, mirin and sugar in a saucepan or a deep fry pan and bring it to a boil over high heat.

  3. Add onions to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until onions become tender and transparent.
  4. Add beef slices to the pan and cook further 2 minutes, making sure that each piece of beef is separated. Use a ladle to remove scum if it surfaces, but try not to remove the sauce together with scum.
  5. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the soy sauce and mix. Cook further until the sauce reduces by a third. Then, turn the heat off.
  6. Spread the cooked beef and onions over the rice in two bowls. Pour two tablespoons of the sauce over each beef bowl in swirling motion.
  7. Sprinkle the chopped shallots over the beef and place the pickled ginger in the middle, if using. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

1. You can use cheap cuts of beef. When they are very thinly sliced, any cuts other than stewing meat will turn out tender.

You can buy thinly sliced beef at Asian grocery stores. They are not sold as sukiyaki slices and are not so expensive. Beef slices for sukiyaki is also suitable.

You can also make thinly sliced beef yourself, even without a slicer. Please visit my post Beef Rolls with Asparagus which shows how to slice a block of beef.

2. Red pickled ginger is called 'benishōga' (紅生姜 or 紅しょうが). You can buy benishōga in a sealed plastic bag or a small bottle at Japanese/Asian grocery stores. You may even find it at supermarkets.

There are two different types of pickled ginger – red and natural coloured. The natural coloured pickled ginger is slightly sweet and typically used as a garnish for sushi or grilled fish.

The red pickled ginger is not sweet and you will see it used as a topping in Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki. Since gyū-don has a sweet flavour, red pickled ginger is suited for this.

3. You can make beef toppings ahead of time. Simply re-heat and serve on top of rice.