Japanese Beef Gyudon Rice Bowl

This quick and simple Japanese beef bowl is perfect for your weeknight meals. Thinly sliced beef with sweet onions come together for the most comforting dish.

What is gyudon?

Gyudon is a traditional Japanese dish that consists of rice and thinly sliced beef and onions made in a delicious sweet and savory sauce. Gyudon is traditionally served with pickled red ginger and a runny egg.

If you’ve never heard of it, you probably have heard of the popular fast food version from Yoshinoya. As a kid, I lived next to one and its affordability and convenience made it a staple meal growing up.

Although I didn’t grow up eating a home cooked version, this recipe brings back a sense of comfort whenever I make it.

What do you need?

The ingredients for gyudon are extremely simple and the main ingredients are very common in Japanese and other Asian dishes. If you normally cook Asian food, you probably have everything you need in your cabinet.

• White onion: Sweeter onions work well for this dish, including a Maui sweet onion.
• Sliced beef: I typically use thinly sliced ribeye or brisket from my local Korean market. I find this in the meat section geared towards Korean BBQ. Sometimes the cuts for Korean BBQ can be too thick and you’ll find thinner slices in the section for shabu shabu meat.
• Seasonings: Dashi, mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar.
  • Dashi: The first time I made this, I forgot to buy Japanese Dashi soup stock. While it still turned out delicious, I wished for more sauce. In other words, this recipe can be made without Dashi but it won’t be as authentic. Sometimes it’s hard to find these ingredients, so I totally understand!
  • Mirin: Japanese rice wine for cooking
  • Sake: This is a Japanese alcohol and is actually one of the few spirits that my enzyme-lacking Asian body can tolerate!
  • Soy sauce: My favorite brand is Aloha Shoyu. I find it less salty than other brands but any kind works just as well.
  • Sugar: The sweetness really adds to the deliciousness of this recipe.
• Garnish: green onions and shichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper flakes)
• Runny egg: The egg pop is the best part of a runny egg and the umami flavor pairs perfectly with gyudon. I serve mine sunny side up, but your preferred runny yolk (poaches, over easy, over medium, etc.) will work just as well.

How to Make it + Tips and Tricks

1. Slice the onions into long thin strips. When they’re cooked down, you want them to be about the same thickness as your beef.
2. Slice your thinly sliced beef into shorter pieces. Cut into halves or thirds for pieces that are easier to bite. You can also leave the meat alone and get a longer, stringier protein like the Yoshinoya version.
3. Without turning on the heat, add the sauce ingredients (dashi, mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar) to a medium sized pan and stir until the sugar dissolves.
4. Add in the onions and beef and stir to cover the pan evenly.
5. Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook over medium heat.
6. Once the meat is cooked and there is no longer any visible pink, turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 3 minutes with the lid on.
7. In another pan, fry a sunny side up egg.
8. Serve gyudon over white rice, making sure to spoon the sauce over the rice. Top with sliced green onions, shichimi togarashi, and your fried egg.

How to Make Gyudon without Dashi

Gyudon still makes for a delicious lunch or dinner even if you can’t get your hands on the Japanese soup stock. It might not be the most authentic but it still tastes great. Here’s how I made it

1. Thinly slice your onion and green onion. Slice your beef into halves or thirds.
2. Sauté the onion in a high smoke point oil (vegetable, canola, etc.) over medium-high heat until it softens and is fragrant. If the onion starts to burn, reduce the heat.
3. Add in the beef. Immediately after add in the sauce ingredients (mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar). Stir well and cook until there is no longer any visible pink.
4. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes covered over medium heat.
5. Serve over white rice with green onions and a fried egg.