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Discover the secret to cooking the popular Japanese beef dish, gyudon. Tender beef is served on a bed of rice and topped with a perfectly fried egg for a comfort dish ready in less than an hour.
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What makes this dish special
Now that I have taken a little break from experimenting with Japanese foods, I am back to it! With the recipes for dorayaki, egg onigiri, and abura soba done, I am moving on to one of the most popular Japanese dishes, gyudon.
Unsure of what gyudon is? Think Yoshinoya. The beef bowls are originally from Japan, and yes, even Yoshinoya itself. Normally, I never dine at fast food, but I had to try it when I was in Tokyo. The regular beef bowls tasted very similar to the ones in the States, but there was one particular variation that I very much enjoyed: gyudon topped with a raw egg yolk and lots of green onions on a bed of rice. Now that is one gyudon that I can go for!
Unfortunately, the eggs back home aren't as fresh, so I'll stick to fried eggs. But my version is just as delicious because I discovered the secret of how to cook the beef. Ready to dive in?
Recipe
Gyudon
Ingredients
- 1 pound thinly sliced rib-eye
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup dashi
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- salt and white pepper
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons green onions thinly sliced
- 2 fried eggs
- 2 tablespons pickled ginger
- togarashi as needed
Instructions
- Combine rib eye with cornstarch and mix until beef is well coated. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced onion and saute until the onions are softened, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add marinated beef and cook until browned. Add dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes. The liquid should barely be bubbling. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Portion rice into 4 bowls. Top with beef mixture, a fried egg, green onions, pickled ginger, and togarashi. Serve immediately.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Marinate beef
Gyudon is literally a beef bowl. Rice is topped with slow-simmered beef and a pile of green onions. This variation with an egg is similar to the one I had in Japan, except my version features a fried egg. If you find fresh eggs, try it the authentic way with a raw egg yolk. It's delicious, trust me.
To make the rice bowl, first start by marinating thinly sliced rib-eye. You can ask the butcher at your market to slice the beef for you.
If slicing it by hand, I recommend freezing the beef to make it easier to slice.
Toss the rib-eye in cornstarch and let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. I discovered that because the beef is so thinly sliced, it helps to marinate it in cornstarch.
The cornstarch acts as a shield, protecting the beef from overcooking. It also thickens the sauce beautifully.
Step 2: Cook beef
Heat oil in a large saute pan and saute sliced onion until softened. Onions are important to the dish because they add sweetness, complementing the flavors of the gyudon.
Add the beef and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
When preparing Japanese foods, you will discover that certain ingredients are present in almost every dish. Dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake are some of the staples that help create the flavors of ramen, curry, and yes, gyudon.
We're going to use those same ingredients to help flavor the beef.
Once the meat is browned, add the seasonings and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your stove and continue to cook the beef for another 10-15 minutes. You want to cook the beef low and slow to prevent it from toughening up.
Give the beef a final seasoning with salt and white pepper.
For best results, let the beef sit in the sauce overnight, almost marinating the meat. This will allow the beef to be the most flavorful gyudon.
Fry eggs to your desired degree of doneness and assemble the bowls. Top a bed of rice with the cooked beef and fried egg. For extra garnishes, top the bowl with pickled ginger and togarashi for some spice.
I can gladly say that this dish came out exactly as I intended it. The beef is incredibly tender and perfectly seasoned. Although it doesn't feature a raw egg yolk, I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of the fried egg. Just like Yoshinoya, only 100 times better!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: You can cook the beef the day before and let it sit overnight in the cooking juices. In fact, the beef will taste even better the following day.
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.
More Japanese recipes
Looking for more Japanese dishes? Try these:
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All images shot and styled by Christine Ma. Available for food photography, styling, and recipe development.
Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
So few ingredients but I'm sure the flavors are huge! Can't go wrong with this combo!
cma0425 says
You're exactly right! Thanks for visiting!
Stacey says
Made this tonight and we loved it! Even though it took a little extra time because of the marinating, the beef was so tender and flavorful.
Christine Ma says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!