Japanese recipe

Gyudon (beef rice bowl)

Name: Gyudon (beef rice bowl)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Japanese cuisine
Ingredients: 300 g thinly sliced beef chuck or ribeye; 200 g onion, thinly sliced; 240 ml dashi stock; 30 ml sake; 30 ml mirin; 45 ml light soy sauce; 18 g granulated sugar; 360 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice

Paper-thin beef and tender onion simmer in a sweet-savory dashi sauce before covering hot rice.

Japan

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Servings: 2

Gyudon beef and tender onion simmered in sauce over white rice without garnish — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by OcdpSource page · Original file · CC0 1.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

300 g
thinly sliced beef chuck or ribeye
200 g
onion, thinly sliced
240 ml
dashi stock
30 ml
sake
30 ml
mirin
45 ml
light soy sauce
18 g
granulated sugar
360 g
cooked Japanese short-grain rice

Method

01
Keep the rice hot
Cook the short-grain rice before starting and keep 360 g covered and hot so the beef broth is absorbed immediately.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Prepare beef and onion
If needed, chill the beef in the freezer for 10 minutes, then cut it into 7–8 cm pieces; slice the onion thinly.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Make the cold-pan broth
In a cold wide skillet, stir the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar until evenly combined; do not heat yet.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Soften the onion
Scatter the onion into the broth, bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat, and cook for 5–6 minutes until translucent and tender.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Simmer the beef
Separate the beef slices and add them in a single layer. Simmer 3–4 minutes, skimming foam, until no pink remains and the thickest piece reaches 71°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Settle the broth
Turn off the heat and leave the beef and onion in the broth, covered, for 2 minutes so the flavour settles without overcooking the beef.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Season the bowls
Divide the hot rice between two donburi bowls and ladle a little broth over it before adding the beef and onion.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Serve without garnish
Top each bowl with the beef and tender onion, spoon over only enough hot broth to moisten the rice, and serve immediately without additional garnish.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Use well-marbled beef and stop as soon as it loses its pink colour; prolonged boiling makes thin slices tough.
A wide skillet keeps the beef in a shallow layer, so the onion and sauce season it evenly.

Common mistakes

Adding beef before the broth simmers can leave it clumped and unevenly cooked; separate the slices first.
Do not drown the rice; add broth gradually so the grains remain distinct.

Substitutions

Replace dashi with 240 ml unsalted vegetable stock for a fish-free version; keep the soy, mirin, and sugar amounts unchanged.
Use thinly sliced pork shoulder instead of beef and cook until the thickest slice reaches 71°C.

Storage

Cool the beef mixture within 2 hours, refrigerate it airtight for up to 3 days, and store rice separately. Reheat the beef to steaming hot before serving.

Cultural context

Gyudon is a Japanese donburi format: simmered beef and onion are served over rice, with each home or shop adjusting the sweet-savoury broth.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Yoshinoya beef bowl, regular size — Photograph by Ocdp; CC0 1.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Japanese recipes

Gyudon (beef rice bowl)

Ingredients

Method

Keep the rice hot

Prepare beef and onion

Make the cold-pan broth

Soften the onion

Simmer the beef

Settle the broth

Season the bowls

Serve without garnish

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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