Soma's Gyūdon (Beef Bowl)

Ingredients

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Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the cooked rice

   Keep about 4 cups cooked koshihikari warm (~250 g per bowl, ~1 kg total). Reheat leftover rice with a splash of water if needed. If you only have dry rice, cook it separately first — see the FAQ (about 45 minutes in a rice cooker for 2¼ US cups / 450 g / 3 rice-cooker cups uncooked).

2. 2

   Prep onions and beef

   Thinly slice 1 large onion into half-moons. Cut 1 lb thin-sliced beef into 3-inch (7.6 cm) wide pieces if needed; separate slices so they do not clump. Thinly slice 2 scallions; set aside.

3. 3

   Grate daikon oroshi

   Peel a section of daikon radish and grate ¾ cup on the fine side of a box grater — enough for a heaped mound on each bowl (about 2–3 tbsp each). Drain briefly in a sieve so it stays wet and fluffy, not watery.

4. 4

   Build the cold-pan broth

   In a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet with a lid, heat still off, combine 1 cup dashi (240 ml), 3 tbsp cooking sake, 3 tbsp hon-mirin, 3 tbsp Japanese dark soy, and 2 tbsp granulated sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. A smaller pan will dry out 1 lb of beef in only 1 cup of broth.

5. 5

   Simmer the onions

   Scatter onion slices into the cold broth, separating the layers — beef goes on later. Cover with the lid, turn heat to medium, and when the broth simmers reduce to low. Cook covered about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and beginning to soften.

6. 6

   Steam the beef

   Place thin beef slices on top of the softened onions, covering the surface — do not stir. Cover again and cook on low about 3 minutes until the beef is just cooked through. Lift the lid once to skim scum and excess fat from the broth.

7. 7

   Finish with scallions

   Scatter sliced scallions over the beef. Cover and cook 1 more minute on low. The beef should no longer be pink but still tender; onions should be soft and sweet.

8. 8

   Assemble donburi bowls

   Pack warm rice into 4 deep bowls (~250 g each). Spoon beef and onions generously over the rice; drizzle with simmering broth from the pan. Top each bowl with a heaped mound of daikon oroshi in the center, a few sprigs of mitsuba (or cilantro or flat-leaf parsley) laid in a cross, and beni shoga on the side. Serve immediately.

Pro tips

Use a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet with a tight lid so 1 cup of broth can steam the beef without drying out. Slice onion thin and give it 5 minutes in the broth before adding beef — raw onion in a 4-minute total simmer stays crunchy and sharp. Skim scum and excess fat once the pan simmers. Stop cooking as soon as the beef loses its pink. Grate daikon just before plating; pile 2–3 tbsp on each bowl so the mound matches the screenshot. Garnish with fresh mitsuba sprigs — cilantro or flat-leaf parsley if you cannot find mitsuba.

Storage & leftovers

Beef and onion mixture keeps 2–3 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat gently in a saucepan with a splash of dashi. Cook fresh rice for each serving — do not store assembled bowls.

What to serve with

Miso soup, Japanese pickled cabbage, or kinpira gobo on the side. Optional onsen tamago (poached egg) dropped on top for a richer bowl — popular at gyudon chains in Japan.

FAQ

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