Japanese beef donburi (also known as gyudon) has thinly sliced beef and onions cooked in sweet savory broth. It is simple, easy, yet extremely delicious! Serve over a warm bowl of rice and enjoy with your favorite toppings.
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Beef donburi is a popular dish at restaurants and even at food courts in Japan. The beef is super tender, it is perfectly saucy, and the rice soaks up all the delicious umami-rich flavors.
You will be amazed to see how easy it is to make this dish. All it takes is to simmer the beef and onions in the sauce and serve over a bowl of rice. Enjoy this Japanese beef donburi in the comfort of your own home!
Ingredients for this recipe
- Water
- Tamari
- Mirin
- Sake
- Sugar
- Large onion
- Grated ginger
- Thinly sliced beef
- Cooked Japanese rice - Or any kind of rice
Toppings
Toppings (optional):
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Shichimi pepper
How to make Japanese beef donburi
Step 1. In a large pan, combine water, tamari, mirin, sake and sugar together and stir. Bring the broth mix to a boil.
Step 2. Add the onion, beef and ginger into the broth. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the onion is tender.
Step 3. Skim off the scum with a ladle while simmering to keep the broth clear. (see below section for more details)
Step 4. Serve over rice. Top with scallions and shichimi pepper.
Tip
Skim off the scum as much as possible.
As the beef gets simmered in the broth, you may see gray bubbly particles coming up to the surface, which is proteins and fats from the meat.
To remove, prepare a bowl or a large cup filled with water. Scoop out the scum with a ladle or a spoon (don’t scoop out the broth!) and wash off in the water. Repeat until you see less of it.
While it does not affect the flavor too much, this little step helps to keep the broth clear with a better texture and removes excess fat.
FAQ
Asian grocery stores are the best places to find thinly sliced meat. You may find thin meat as hot pot meat, rolled up if frozen. If it is had to come by sliced meat, you may also freeze a block of beef for 30 minutes or so to firm up, and slice very thinly with a sharp knife.
Always store the rice and meat separately. The beef topping can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, covered tightly. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Microwave or heat up over the stovetop to reheat.
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- Butadon (Japanese pork rice bowl)
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Recipe
Japanese Beef Donburi (Gyudon)
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup tamari soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup sake or dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 pound thinly sliced beef or increase up to 1½ lb
- 4 servings cooked Japanese rice
Toppings:
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Shichimi pepper
Instructions
- In a large pan, combine the water, tamari, mirin, sake and sugar together and stir. Bring the broth mix to a boil.
- Add the onion, beef and ginger into the broth. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the onion is tender.
- Skim off the scum with a ladle while simmering for a clearer broth. (see the blog post for how to)
- Serve over rice. Top with scallions and shichimi pepper (optional)
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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