Japanese Gyudon Beef Bowl
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Often times, it’s the simplest of ingredients that can make for the tastiest of dishes. And that is totally the case with the Japanese Gyudon (pronounced gew-don). Gyudon literally means Beef Bowl and it is one of the most basic of the traditional, quintessential Japanese homecooked meals. It’s probably one dish that every basic Japanese cookbook will undoubtedly feature.
Unapologetically simple yet unequivocally delicious. It’s one of those dishes that you think is way too simple to serve to guests. So, you sit and devour it by yourself or with your family, in the comfort of your home.
Gyudon Beef Cut
As easy as this is to make, the biggest challenge to making this dish in the States is the beef. Not the lack thereof, of course. But Gyudon requires very thinly sliced beef and preferably slightly fattier beef – like ribeye.
Thinly sliced pork and beef are very common in Japanese cooking. But thin pre-sliced meets almost impossible to find at our local grocery stores in the U.S. unless you find a butcher who will slice the meat for you. Or you can slice them yourself at home with a slicer. So, unfortunately, I never think to make it.
Until…I found this:
It’s the shaved steak to be used for Philly Cheesesteaks! Jack. Freakin’. Pot! It’s slightly too lean for gyudon so I made some accommodation to compensate for that in the recipe to make it closer to what you might get in Japan.
Japanese Soy Sauce
Because the soy sauce is one of the key ingredients in this recipe, using the correct type of soy sauce is important. Be sure to use the Japanese brand soy sauce such as Kikkoman or Yamasa. I have heard of situations when the final product does not quite taste authentic when non-Japanese soy sauce was used for the recipe. As always, I recommend using the low-sodium kind. You can also use tamari which is marketed as the gluten-free version of the soy sauce.
Related topic: See the 5 simple tips for cooking perfect Japanese rice
Gyudon Recipe
Japanese Gyudon Beef Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 servings cooked rice short or medium grain
- 14 oz shaved steak or thinly sliced ribeye steak
- 1/2 onion, medium thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon dashi powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 /2 tablespoon butter
Optional toppings
- benishoga (red ginger)
- green onions, finely chopped
- toasted sesame seeds
- fried egg
- Shichimi (or Nanami) peppers
Instructions
- Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon dashi powder in 1/2 cup water. Set it aside.
- Heat oil in a deep frying pan or wok over medium high heat.
- Cook onion until transparent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Loosen the beef slices so that they are not all clumped together. Add beef into the pan and cook until beef starts to brown.
- Add dashi/water mixture, butter, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. Gently stir occasionally and cook for about 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced down and slightly thickened.
- Fill rice in the bowls. Divide beef and cooked liquid over rice.
- Add toppings as desired and serve immediately.
Related topic: If you don’t recognize some of the Japanese ingredients mentioned above, check out the Basic Japanese Ingredients page to learn more about them!
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Kathy | 10th Nov 22
We love this recipe!
It was actually my first time cooking with dashi powder and sake, and it was so good!
Thanks for sharing.
Marla | 22nd Jan 21
My husband brought home a package of sliced ribeye from costco because he thought it looked interesting…had no clue how to prepare anything with it, but going to try this recipe now! I always make Japanese style chicken and rice bowls with fried or scrambled egg for my husband and daughter, so it will be interesting to try this as well.
admin | 31st Jan 21
I had no clue that Costco now offers sliced ribeye! That should be perfect for gyudon! Guess where I’d be headed to later today – Costco! Thanks Marla!
Sarah | 29th Sep 19
This looks delicious. I have been trying to expand my cooking to include more unique dishes and this looks like a great one to try. I will have to find thinly sliced beef, but also a few of the other ingredients. Can’t wait to try it.
admin | 30th Sep 19
Thank you so much Sarah! Thinly sliced beef (shaved beef) is easier to find now in grocery stores these days. And I heard that they are also available at Trader Joe’s! Please let me know how it turns out if you do make it!