Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)

Due to the fact that it’s very versatile, I often have frozen packages of thinly sliced fatty beef from the Chinese supermarket near my parents house. They are most often used for barbecue or hotpot/shabu shabu, but sometimes I use them for things like Philly cheesesteaks or gyudon. They keep for a long time in my freezer chest, so I usually stock up when I go over to my parents. Shaved beef from your local supermarket works too but may not be as fatty so it’s easier to overcook.

I don’t like mixing the egg in with the beef, so I usually crack it at the end to semi-poach it in the juices, but some people will mix the egg and pour it over the top at the end. This is for the semi-poached version.

This recipe serves 4

• 1 lb of thinly sliced beef/shaved beef (I like it fatty, you may like it leaner)
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 4 eggs (I used duck because that’s all I have)

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine) or sake (Japanese rice wine)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup water or Dashi stock (optional–I don’t notice much of a difference with or without,)

Garnish:

• Parsley (mitsuba or regular), cilantro, onion chives, shiso, scallions, grated radish, and pickled ginger, or any combination thereof are delicious compliments and cut through the grease.

Rice:

• Can use brown, multigrain, or white rice

Optional:

• Togarashi Ichimi-Shichimi Powder (Japanese hot pepper flakes that go from one–ichi–type of hot pepper to seven–shichi–types.)

1. Cook rice ahead of time, scoop into a large bowl, and set aside. Mix the sauce base and set aside.
2. In a well oiled pan over medium high heat, saute the onions until fragrant. Add the thinly sliced beef and quickly saute until color has changed but is not fully cooked yet. Add half the sauce base, reserve the rest if someone wants to pour it over their rice themselves after.
3. Make 4 small holes in the beef and onion mixture, one in each quarter of the pan, and crack an egg into each. Cover and steam until egg white is cooked but the yolk is still runny.
4. Place one quarter with an egg (careful not to break it) over the rice, and garnish with parsley (mitsuba or regular), cilantro, onion chives, shiso, scallions, grated radish, and pickled ginger, or any combination thereof. Different garnishes will give the dish a different flavor profile. Mix and match depending on what you like better. Dust with Japanese hot pepper flakes and serve while hot with sauce base on the side.