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Meat, East Asian

Gyudon (Japanese beef and rice bowl)

Gyudon is a Japanese rice bowl topped with thin slices of beef and onions simmered in a sweet savory dashi broth. This recipe serves 4, takes 30 minutes, is rated very easy, and costs about €3.40 per person. The key is slicing the beef paper thin and cooking it for just 2 minutes so it stays tender.

Tonight, a Japanese rice bowl ready in twenty minutes, gyudon, with melt in your mouth beef and sweet simmered onions over rice.

Gyudon (Japanese beef and rice bowl)
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€3.40
Calories per person
580 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Gyudon is the comforting bowl you'll find in Japanese diners everywhere, where warm rice slowly soaks up the sweet savory juice from the simmered onions. The beef, sliced paper thin, cooks in barely two minutes and stays tender, almost silky. Fresh ginger wakes up the whole bowl without ever overpowering the dashi broth.

It's the kind of dish you make on a weeknight when time is short but you still want a real hot meal. Mon Chou built this recipe for busy families, kids usually love this mild combination of rice and sweet savory beef. It works just as well for a simple dinner as for a craving for uncomplicated Japanese cooking.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Thinly sliced top sirloin or sirloin steak 500 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onions 3
  • Fresh ginger 1 piece
  • Scallions 2

Pantry

  • Dashi broth 25 cl
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Mirin 3 tbsp
  • Sugaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g

Allergens Soy, Gluten, Fish

The step by step recipe

  1. Cook the rice in salted water, then divide it among 4 large bowls. 11 min

    Short grain or sushi rice works best, but long grain rice will also do the job.

  2. Thinly slice the onions and cut the ginger into fine matchsticks.

    Thinly sliced onions melt into the broth without staying crunchy.

  3. Heat the dashi with the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and ginger, add the onions, and let simmer. 8 min

    Let it reduce gently, the broth should turn slightly syrupy.

  4. Add the sliced beef, separating the pieces with chopsticks as you go, and cook for 2 minutes. 2 min

    Don't overcook, the beef turns tough as soon as it loses its pink color.

  5. Spoon the beef, onions, and a little broth over the rice, then sprinkle with chopped scallions.

    Pour the broth in gradually so the rice stays moist without getting soggy.

Our tips to get it right

  • Slice all the onions before starting the broth, this step takes time and everything moves fast once the heat is on.
  • Keep the beef in the fridge until the last minute, very cold meat is much easier to slice thin.
  • Taste the broth before adding the beef, it should already be well balanced between sweet and salty since it won't cook much longer after that.

The variations

  • Swap the beef for thinly sliced pork to make a butadon, just as tender with the same broth.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with shiitake mushrooms and the dashi with vegetable broth.
  • For a quicker version for kids, skip homemade dashi and use instant dashi broth instead, the result stays close to the original.

What to serve it with

  • A bowl of miso soup to start
  • Japanese pickled vegetables
  • Hot green tea

Storage

Gyudon keeps for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container, rice and topping together. It freezes well if you keep the rice separate from the beef and broth. Reheat gently in a pan or microwave, adding a splash of water to loosen the broth.

Questions about this dish

Can you make gyudon ahead of time?

Yes, you can prepare the broth and onions in advance and keep them in the fridge. Cook the beef at the last minute so it stays tender, and make the rice right before serving.

Can you replace the dashi broth?

If you don't have dashi, a light chicken broth can work in a pinch, though the flavor will be less distinctive. Dashi brings a particular umami taste that's hard to fully replace.

How do you slice the beef as thin as in Japanese restaurants?

Ask your butcher to slice it thin, that's the easiest way. Otherwise, freeze the beef for 20 minutes before slicing it yourself, it will be much easier to handle.

Is gyudon good for kids?

Yes, it's a mild, lightly seasoned dish that kids generally enjoy. The combination of rice, tender beef, and slightly sweet broth makes it an easy family meal to get everyone on board with.

How long does it take to make a gyudon?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a gyudon?

About 580 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a gyudon cost?

About €3.40 per serving, or €13.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains soy, gluten, fish. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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