Thinly sliced beef and sweet onions simmered in a savory-sweet sauce of soy, mirin, and dashi, served over a steaming bowl of fluffy white rice. Japan's quintessential fast comfort food, hearty and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
400g thinly sliced beef (ribeye or sirloin)
2 large onions, thinly sliced into half-moons
80ml soy sauce
60ml mirin
30ml sake
200ml dashi stock
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice
4 eggs (optional, for topping)
Pickled red ginger (beni shoga) for garnish
Seven-spice powder (shichimi) to taste
Instructions
1Combine dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a large skillet. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely into the savory-sweet braising liquid.
2Add the thinly sliced onions to the simmering sauce and cook for eight minutes until they become soft and translucent, absorbing the rich flavors of the braising liquid as they soften.
3Spread the thinly sliced beef evenly over the onions in a single layer. Let the meat cook gently for three to four minutes, allowing it to poach in the simmering sauce rather than sear.
4Gently stir the beef and onions together once the meat has changed color. Simmer for another five minutes until the sauce reduces slightly and coats everything in a glossy glaze.
5Divide hot steamed rice among four deep serving bowls, pressing it gently to form a flat bed. The rice should be freshly cooked and still steaming for the best texture and flavor.
6Spoon the saucy beef and onion mixture generously over each rice bowl. Top with pickled red ginger and optionally crack a raw egg on top. Serve with shichimi on the side.
Did You Know?
Gyudon chains like Yoshinoya serve over a billion bowls per year across Asia. The dish became possible only after the Meiji government lifted the centuries-old Buddhist ban on eating beef in 1872.