Gyudon (Japanese Beef and Onion Rice Bowl)
Photo: Nicholas Ng / Unsplash
Paper-thin slices of beef and sweet onion simmered in a soy, mirin and dashi sauce, piled over hot rice and topped with pickled red ginger. Japan's favourite fast food, ready in 25 minutes.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the sauce
In a large frying pan (about 26 cm / 10 in), combine the , soy sauce, , , sugar and ginger. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches a gentle simmer.
- 200 ml stock
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp grated ginger
✅ Done when: small bubbles rise steadily across the surface
Cook the onion
Add the onion wedges to the simmering sauce and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- 1 onion
✅ Done when: onion is soft and translucent
Add the beef
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Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Make the sauce
In a large frying pan (about 26 cm / 10 in), combine the , soy sauce, , , sugar and ginger. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches a gentle simmer.
- 200 ml stock
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp grated ginger
✅ Done when: small bubbles rise steadily across the surface
Cook the onion
Add the onion wedges to the simmering sauce and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- 1 onion
✅ Done when: onion is soft and translucent
Add the beef
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Beef was rarely eaten in Japan until the Meiji era (from 1868), when the government encouraged Western-style eating. Gyunabe, a beef hotpot, became fashionable, and serving it over rice created gyudon.
In 1899 the chain Yoshinoya opened at Tokyo's fish market, selling quick bowls of gyudon to busy workers. Today gyudon chains serve millions of bowls a day across Japan, often in under a minute.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Fast, cheap, savoury and filling, gyudon is the definitive Japanese everyday meal.
💡 Fun Fact
Gyudon fans add their own toppings: a raw egg, grated cheese, kimchi or a sprinkle of shichimi chilli pepper.
Tokyo
35.68°N, 139.65°E
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