Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)

This is a dish I always seem to find myself returning to time and time again. There’s something about that soy-ginger sauce that goes so perfectly well with beef that makes this dish an incredibly comforting and satisfying meal.

Thinly sliced beef is ALMOST mandatory for this dish. I found Trader Joe’s regularly has “shaved beef” in their shelves so you don’t need to go to an Asian grocer or specialty butcher to this this cut of meet. But if you’re having trouble finding one, you can also shave the meat yourself using a sharp knife and semi-freezing the beef so that you can get a clean cut without damage. But… if you’re finding that to be too difficult or too much effort, just cut the meet as thin as you can into bite-size strips. The texture might end up tougher but hte flavors will still be accurate.

My favorite way to cook this is to include shimeji mushrooms (also known as white beech mushrooms) into the stir fry so that the texture and juiciness of the mushrooms pairs well with the onions and sliced beef in each bite.

beef, onions, and mushrooms cooking in a pan
After sauteéing, beef, onion, and mushrooms are simmered in a soy ginger sauce to absorb its flavor.
beef with onions and mushrooms

Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)

A savory and umami beef dish. Best served on a fresh bowl of rice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 large cooking pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb shaved beef
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 1 packet shimeji mushrooms white or brown is fine

Simmering Sauce

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp ground ginger if using fresh, reduce to 1 tsp
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp sake

Instructions
 

  • Mix the ingredients for the simmering sauce and set aside
    2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp sake
  • Slice the onion thinly (I prefer french cut, but you can cut however you like).
    1/2 medium onion
  • On medium heat, add oil to a pan. Add in the onion and sauté until translucent.
  • Add in beef. Continue to sauté until about half the pink is gone.
    1 lb shaved beef
  • Add in mushrooms. Sauté some more.
    1 packet shimeji mushrooms
  • Add simmering sauce. Stir and keep an eye on the pan, moving the ingredients around so it evenly cooks. Keep waiting and stirring occassionally until most of the liquid evaporates.
  • Remove from heat. Serve over a bowl of freshly cooked rice.

Notes

Use gluten free tamari to make this dish gluten free. 
Keyword beef, meat, protein

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