Recipe Research: Gyudon (Japanese Rice Bowl)

レシピリサーチ：牛丼

Description

Introduction

Gyūdon (牛丼, "beef bowl"), also known as gyūmeshi (牛飯 or 牛めし, "beef [and] rice"), is a Japanese dish consisting of a bowl of rice topped with beef and onion, simmered in a mildly sweet sauce flavored with dashi (fish and seaweed stock), soy sauce and mirin (sweet rice wine). It may sometimes also be served with toppings such as raw or soft poached eggs, negi onions, grated cheese or kimchi. A popular food in Japan, it is commonly eaten with beni shōga (pickled ginger), shichimi (ground chili pepper), and a side dish of miso soup. (Wikipedia).


Origin

[It] is considered to be derived from gyūnabe (牛鍋), a beef hot pot originating in the Kantō region of eastern Japan, first served in Yokohama in 1862. (Wikipedia). When people began pouring the gyūnabe broth over their rice, the dish was coined gyūmeshi（牛飯） . In the late 1800s, it was eventually renamed gyūdon, with （牛） for beef and don (（丼） referring to the donburi rice bowl. (Just One Cookbook).



Today

Gyūdon can be found in many restaurants in Japan, and some fast food chains specialize exclusively in the dish. Many of these chain shops are open round the clock. The top three gyūdon chains in Japan are Sukiya (currently the largest gyūdon chain in Japan, established in Yokohama in 1981), Yoshinoya (the oldest and second largest, established in the Nihonbashi district of what is now Chūō, Tokyo in 1899), and Matsuya (established in Nerima, Tokyo in 1968).(Wikipedia).


Ingredients


  • ½ onion (4 oz, 113 g)
  • 1 green onion/scallion
  • ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) (you can also slice your own meat)

For Sauce

  • ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
  • 2 Tbsp sake (substitute with dry sherry or Chinese rice wine, or use water for a non-alcohol version)
  • 2 Tbsp mirin (or use 2 Tbsp sake/water + 2 tsp sugar)
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sugar (to taste)

For Serving

  • 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving)
  • pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga) (to garnish)

Instructions


Before You Start…

  1. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups, 300 g) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g).
  2. Gather all the ingredients. You may put the thinly sliced beef in the freezer for 10 minutes because it‘s a lot easier to cut semi-frozen meat.

To Prepare the Ingredients

  1. First, thinly slice ½ onion.
  2. Next, cut 1 green onion/scallion diagonally into thin slices. Set aside.
  3. Then, remove ½ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) from the freezer. Cut the semi-frozen meat into pieces 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide.
  4. In a large frying pan (do not turn on the heat yet), add ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock), 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp mirin, 3 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp sugar. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.
  5. Next, add the onion slices and spread them in the broth throughout the pan, separating the onion layers.
  6. Then, distribute the meat on top of the onions. Separate the thin slices of beef so the meat covers the onions.

To Cook

  1. Cover the pan with a lid. Now, turn on the heat to medium and start cooking. Once simmering, turn down the heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes.
  2. While simmering, open the lid and skim off the scum and fat from the broth with a fine-mesh skimmer one to two times.
  3. Sprinkle the green onions on top and cook covered for another minute.
    Optional: If you would like to add beaten eggs, you can do it now.

To Serve

  1. Divide 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into large donburi bowls. Then, drizzle some of the pan sauce on top of the rice.
  2. Put the beef and onion mixture on top of the rice. If you’d like, drizzle additional remaining sauce on top. Top the gyudon with pickled red ginger (beni shoga or kizami beni shoga). Enjoy!

To Store

  1. You can keep any leftover beef and egg mixture in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days and in the freezer for up to 3-4 weeks.

Sample Imagery

Gyudon Gyudon
Gyudon-fin

Sukiya Logo Sukiya Gyudon Sukiya Store
Gyudon Chain Store: ex.Sukiya

Gyudon Ingredients
Gyudon Ingredients

Thinly slice onion Add seasonings Layer onions Simmer meat Beef and onion on rice
Gyudon Instructions

Three Links for Recipe Website References

Just One Cookbook: Gyudon


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JAPAN CENTRE: gyudon beef donburi rice bowl

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New York Times Cooking: Gyudon

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