Name: Gyudon (Japanese beef rice bowl)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 600 g Japanese short-grain rice (uncooked, makes 4 bowls); 450 g beef, sliced paper-thin (e.g. short rib or chuck; put in the freezer for 10 minutes first); 1 onion, thinly sliced; 2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal; 240 ml dashi (made with about 6 g instant dashi powder); 60 ml sake; 4 tbsp mirin; 90 ml soy sauce; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated; pickled red ginger (beni shoga) (to garnish)

Preparation

Cook the rice according to the packet instructions; it should be soft and sticky. Freeze the beef briefly so it is easier to cut into pieces about 7 cm wide. Slice the onion thinly and the spring onions on the diagonal.
Put the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar into a large, still cold frying pan and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Spread the onion slices out in the broth and lay the beef on top, separated into individual slices.
Cover and set over medium heat. As soon as it simmers, reduce the heat and cook, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes, skimming off the scum and fat once or twice.
Add the grated ginger and the spring onions and leave to steep, covered, for 1 more minute.
Divide the rice among large bowls, spoon over a little of the pan sauce, top with the beef and onions and garnish with pickled red ginger.

Drink with it

Junmai sake · excellent match
Junmai, gently warmed (about 40 °C)
Rice with rice: the full-bodied junmai shares the umami of the dashi and soy sauce, and the warmth takes the heaviness off the sweet sauce.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Pale lager · excellent match
Japanese lager, dry and ice-cold
Carbonation and a slim body cut through the beef fat, and the light bitterness holds its own against the sugar and mirin. In Japan it is the everyday drink with donburi.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Dark beer · good match
Dark lager or Schwarzbier
Light roasted-malt notes pick up the caramelly sweetness of the soy, and the bitterness keeps things balanced.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Red wine · good match
Light red wine with little tannin, e.g. Gamay, lightly chilled
Juicy red fruit suits the sweet-salty sauce, and low tannin gets along with the salt in the soy.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Mellow whisky · good match
Mild Japanese whisky as a highball with soda and ice
Soda and ice loosen up the sweet-salty sauce, and the light malt note goes well with the beef.
Whisky with food: cheese, chocolate, and savory dishes

Preparation

Cook the rice according to the packet instructions; it should be soft and sticky. Freeze the beef briefly so it is easier to cut into pieces about 7 cm wide. Slice the onion thinly and the spring onions on the diagonal.
Put the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce and sugar into a large, still cold frying pan and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Spread the onion slices out in the broth and lay the beef on top, separated into individual slices.
Cover and set over medium heat. As soon as it simmers, reduce the heat and cook, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes, skimming off the scum and fat once or twice.
Add the grated ginger and the spring onions and leave to steep, covered, for 1 more minute.
Divide the rice among large bowls, spoon over a little of the pan sauce, top with the beef and onions and garnish with pickled red ginger.

Drink with it

Junmai sake · excellent match
Junmai, gently warmed (about 40 °C)
Rice with rice: the full-bodied junmai shares the umami of the dashi and soy sauce, and the warmth takes the heaviness off the sweet sauce.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Pale lager · excellent match
Japanese lager, dry and ice-cold
Carbonation and a slim body cut through the beef fat, and the light bitterness holds its own against the sugar and mirin. In Japan it is the everyday drink with donburi.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Dark beer · good match
Dark lager or Schwarzbier
Light roasted-malt notes pick up the caramelly sweetness of the soy, and the bitterness keeps things balanced.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Red wine · good match
Light red wine with little tannin, e.g. Gamay, lightly chilled
Juicy red fruit suits the sweet-salty sauce, and low tannin gets along with the salt in the soy.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Mellow whisky · good match
Mild Japanese whisky as a highball with soda and ice
Soda and ice loosen up the sweet-salty sauce, and the light malt note goes well with the beef.
Whisky with food: cheese, chocolate, and savory dishes

Gyudon (Japanese beef rice bowl)

Preparation

Drink with it

Junmai, gently warmed (about 40 °C)

Japanese lager, dry and ice-cold

Dark lager or Schwarzbier

Light red wine with little tannin, e.g. Gamay, lightly chilled

Mild Japanese whisky as a highball with soda and ice

This pairs well too.

Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef)

Bread Dumplings with Chanterelle Sauce (Semmelknödel mit Eierschwammerlsoße)

Chicken Teriyaki

Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake)

Gyudon (Japanese beef rice bowl)

Preparation

Drink with it

Junmai, gently warmed (about 40 °C)

Japanese lager, dry and ice-cold

Dark lager or Schwarzbier

Light red wine with little tannin, e.g. Gamay, lightly chilled

Mild Japanese whisky as a highball with soda and ice

This pairs well too.

Bulgogi (Korean Marinated Beef)

Bread Dumplings with Chanterelle Sauce (Semmelknödel mit Eierschwammerlsoße)

Chicken Teriyaki

Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake)