Donburi rice bowls are quick and flavor-packed meals that are a popular part of Japanese food. Make Gyudon, a rice bowl topped with thinly sliced beef and green onions in your kitchen with our recipe!
Gyudon is Japanese people’s go-to recipe when you’re hungry and want to make something filling quickly. Loosely translated as a “beef bowl,” Gyudon is based on thinly sliced rib-eye or chuck steak and seasoned with traditional Japanese items like mirin and Beni-shoga (pickled ginger) and served over rice. The result is a flavor-rich bowl of goodness that is easy to make in a matter of minutes. Healthy and delicious, Gyudon is an excellent introduction to donburi (Japanese rice bowls) and will soon become one of your favorite home-cooked authentic Japanese recipes.
What is Donburi?
Gyudon is one of the most popular menu items of all Japanese donburi rice bowls. In Japan, a donburi rice bowl is a complete meal. However, people usually consume it when time is short or when they want something simple and inexpensive. But upscale donburi rice bowls are also becoming popular. It is easy to upgrade the dish with exotic ingredients and take the experience to new levels.
You may have heard of the poke bowl, which is a donburi bowl that became popular in Hawaii and is topped with sashimi and avocado, but there are many different traditional Japanese bowls to try as well. Oyako-don is one of the more authentic recipes for a donburi bow. You only need chicken, eggs, and green onions, and it’s a great light meal. Katsu-don is topped with a succulent pork cutlet and is another staple of Japanese food culture, and for a good reason!
What is Shirataki?
It is common to add shirataki noodles to a donburi rice bowl to add some texture. Our shirataki noodles are made from a Japanese root plant (Konjac) and kneaded with carrots and millet. The result is more flavor and more healthy nutrition, as these noodles pack loads of fiber and essential vitamins. Besides shirataki noodles mixed with carrot, the Umami store also stocks shirataki noodles made with kabocha pumpkin.
Cooking Tips
- You don’t have to use shirataki to make gyudon or any other donburi rice bowl. However, adding it will add some texture!
- You can increase the amount of onions for more flavor. But when you do that, reduce the amount of water and increase the amount of seasoning as onions contain some water that can dilute the flavor.
Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Ingredients
- 1 lb Beef Ribeye or Chuck Steak thinly shaved
- 1 bag Shirataki (200g)
- 1 Small Onion
- 1 inch Fresh Ginger
- 4 portion Cooked Rice
Sauce
Toppings
- Beni-Shoga (Pickled Ginger)
- Scallions
- Shichimi Togarashi
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Slice onion. Peel ginger and finely chop. Cut beef into bitable pieces if too large. Open and drain shirataki.
- In a frying pan, combine all of the ingredients of the sauce. Add ginger, onions, and shirataki to the pan and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until onions are tender. Stir occasionally.
- Add beef and continue cooking over low heat, for about 5 minutes until beef is cooked.
- Portion cooked rice in a bowl and pour plenty of beef mixture, including some sauce onto the rice. Garnish with scallions, beni shoga, shichimi togarashi, and sesame seeds, enjoy!
