Gyudon (牛丼) is the one of the most popular rice bowl dish of Japanese cuisine.
It is a Stewed beef cooked with onion with soy sauce and sugar.
That's basically what it is. But I use kombu to really boost umami yet the recipe itself is still quite easy!! So this recipe is very friendly for beginners.
Why is that so popular in Japan?
There are many Gyudon chain restaurants in Japan such as Yoshinoya, and they all pretty cheap.
So we enjoy this dish quite often and casually like people using MacDonald's in western countries. So it is one of the soul food of many people especially for young generations.
[Serving] 2
[Prep time] 10 mins
[Cook time] 15mins
[Storage] 2-3 days in a fridge (Beef topping only)
[Difficulty] E *(A=Hard E=Easy)
[Ingredients]
-Thinly sliced beef (rib eye or chuck) 250g
-Beef fat 20g (You can skip it if you cannot get it)
-Ginger (as peeled) 15g
-Onion 1each (130g)
[Kombu Dashi]
-Water 750ml
-Kombu (Dried kelp) 7g
-Sugar 20g
-Sake 90ml
-Soy sauce 30ml
[Ingredients] (OUNCE)
-Thinly sliced beef (rib eye or chuck) 0.55lb (8.82oz)
-Beef fat 0.7oz (You can skip it if you cannot get it)
-Ginger (as peeled) 0.53oz
-Onion 1each (4.58oz)
(Kombu Dashi)
-Water 25.36oz
-Kombu (Dried kelp) 0.24oz
-Sugar 0.7oz
-Sake 3.04oz
-Soy sauce 1.01oz
[Recipe Video]
[Chapter in the video]
0:00 Prepare Ingredients
2:03 Dashi science
2:47 Cooking part
[Instruction]
[Chapter 1: Prepare Ingredients]
Slice the beef into half or bite size.
Chop the beef fat into small dice.
Slice onion into 1 cm (Slice against the grain to cook faster)
Loosen the onion to break into pieces.
Slice ginger as thin as possible.
[Chapter 2: Dashi science] (Making Kombu dashi)
Put kombu and water in a pot (It would be better if you soak them 1hour to overnight)
Warm at low heat until just starting to boil.
Set aside.
[Tip] The umami from the kombu is actively developed around at 60℃ (140F),
so warm slowly to pass through this temperature as long as possible.
[Chapter 3: Cooking part]
Put the beef fat on a cold pan or pot. Medium heat until sizzle.
Turn the heat to low, cook until lightly brown.
Add ginger. Cook until soft and aromatic.
Add onion. A pinch of salt. Cook until translucent.
Add the Kombu dashi and sugar. Boil.
Add the beef and sake. Boil again.
Get rid of the half of the scum. Leave half in there. It has flavour.
Add soy sauce. Cook simmer for 10-15 mins.
Serve with rice and egg yolk (or poached egg if raw eggs aren't safe in where you live).
[Tip] Soy sauce loose its flavour if it's cooked long.
That's why we add it later.
[About the rice]
60-70% of the whole dish is actually rice. So pay attention to the rice is important. Use descent Japanese rice (Or best short or medium grain rice you can find). Soak minimum 1 hour (Maximum over night) with water and kombu (1% of the weight of the rice) after rice is washed. This will bring up the whole thing lot better.
[FAQ]
Q: Do I leave kombu in the rice cooker when I cook rice?
A: Yes. Cook with it. Don't change the water too.Wash rice normally.
Soak with kombu. Cook the rice with the same water and kombu