June 12, 2020

Japanese Beef Rice Bowl Recipe (Gyudon)

Gyudon literally means “beef bowl” in Japanese. It is served in many Japanese fast food restaurants. Sweet and savory, it is easy to make and topped on a mound of plain steamed rice. Today, I’m going to share with you the Japanese beef rice bowl recipe that I often make at home.

Gyudon is a comfort food at home. It can quickly be prepared with many stock ingredients commonly found in a Japanese kitchen. This includes common Japanese seasonings such as mirin, soy sauce, and dashi. And includes common items found in the kitchen such as beef, onions and rice. Eggs are also served on top with the beef. I’m going to introduce basic gyudon, but other types of rice bowl can be found here.

I made this beef bowl using Kagayaki select short grain rice. Kagayaki select is made in California, and can be found all over the USA in Asian supermarkets. Other types of rice can be substituted for Japanese short grain rice, such as Korean short-grain rice or Italian short-grain rice. Other types of recipes, such as nikumaki onigiri and temari sushi require short-grained rice. However, long-grain rice can be used in a pinch to make this recipe.

Tips for Making Japanese Beef Rice Bowl

You can also eat this “tsuyudaku” style. If you order “tsuyudaku” style at a restaurant, the chefs will add more sauce on the rice. The rice will soak up the sauce for a richer flavor. You can try this at home by simmering for less time and keeping some liquid sauce in the pan. Add this sauce to your rice bowl to make “tsuyudaku” style beef bowl.
The beef is strongly flavored with Japanese seasonings. If you taste-test the beef, you might think it is too strong. However, the plain white rice balances out the strong flavor. Eat both the rice and beef simultaneously to fully enjoy this dish.
If you cook the beef too long, it can become stiff.

Japanese Beef Rice Bowl Recipe

Gyudon is a Japanese-style rice bowl topped with thin slices of beef. Sweet and savory, this dish is easy to make, and flavored with soy sauce, mirin, and other common Japanese seasonings.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 3 people

Ingredients

Beef Bowl (Gyudon) Main Ingredients

2 onions
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb sliced beef (450 grams)
Cooked rice for 2-4 people

Beef Bowl (Gyudon) Sauce

2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cooking alcohol
2 tbsp dashi
2 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

Cooking the Main Ingredients for Gyudon

Slice two onions
Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to a frying pan
Add the sliced onions and thinly sliced beef into the frying pan
Stir and fry until the onions change color

Making the Sauce for Gyudon

Add 2 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of cooking alcohol. Mix everything and simmer for about 1 minutes.
Add 2 tbsp of dashi, 2 tbsp of mirin, and 3 tbsp of soy sauce
Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes until the water content decreases
Top on a bowl of cooked rice and enjoy!