Truly, there is no greater mark of a dish being iconic than having a song dedicated to it. “Banana Pancakes”, “Cherry Pie”, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”… all classics in their own right. And of course, who could forget the timeless culinary musical sensation “Cow and Rice”?
Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t beef teriyaki that Kid Muscle sang the praises of before climbing into the ring, but rather gyudon: thinly sliced beef and onions simmered in a sweet and salty broth and served atop a bowl of rice. In fact, “Cow and Rice” is an updated version of the original “Gyudon Song” sung by his father, Kinnikuman (aka. Muscleman, and later King Muscle), who was possibly even more of a fiend for the stuff. While “Ultimate Muscle” is probably better known in the western world than the original “Kinnikuman” series (which was a cultural phenomenon in Japan), the fact that gyudon holds such a prominent place in both shows is a reflection of the place the dish holds in the country.
A type of donburi (rice bowl), gyudon has been one of the most popular fast food dishes in Japan for decades, second perhaps only to ramen. It is served at countless restaurants and lunch counters throughout the country and abroad, and is the signature dish of the famous Yoshinoya chain (which features prominently in “Kinnikuman”, and whose motto of “Fast, Cheap, and Delicious” is the basis for the “Gyudon Song”). Like ramen, gyudon is a hearty combination of carbs and protein with a range of flavors – intended to be a satisfying meal to be eaten casually. Unlike ramen, which requires a considerable amount of time and effort to make from scratch at home, gyudon lives up to Yoshinoya’s motto by being the sort of dish anyone can prepare on short notice and with minimal fuss.
The reason I am spending so much time talking about “Kinnukuman” and “Ultimate Muscle” (aside from the fact that I think the shows are hilarious) is that is where I first heard about gyudon. Without that connection, I would not have been so excited to try it when I encountered it for the first time at the grab-and-go counter at Mitsuwa. Prior to the pandemic and moving to working remotely full-time, my office was close enough to Mitsuwa for me to be able to grab lunch there on my break (which is one of the very few things I genuinely miss about working at that office). While early on I would head for the ramen stall or the sushi case by default, it didn’t take me long to start exploring the other options available when I was there several times a week. The day I discovered they had gyudon, I immediately grabbed a bowl and began singing “Cow and Rice” (in my head) as soon as I had my first bite. From there on out, my first stop at Mitsuwa would be to check to see if they had any bowls of gyudon in the case. Some days they didn’t, which of course lead me to the inevitable question of “can I make this stuff myself?”
A few quick searches revealed that not only could I make gyudon at home, but that it was easy. Easy enough to throw together for dinner on a night where I didn’t really feel like cooking, or just wanted something fast and simple. It also reheats well, so making a large batch and packing it for my lunches at work became part of my regular routine. On top of that, unlike many Japanese dishes, most of the ingredients are quite common and readily available at virtually any supermarket. Perhaps the only item that might be tougher to find would be ryorishu (cooking sake), but any regular (preferably inexpensive) sake will work just fine. The ingredients for the dashi broth are also a little more specialized, but homemade dashi is not at all necessary for making a decent batch of gyudon. Personally, I prefer the results when using my own dashi (and like the fact that I can control what goes in it), but if you can’t find the ingredients or just want to save time, instant Hondashi soup base works just fine, and even ordinary beef stock will do in a pinch.
Much like ramen (and many other Japanese fast food/street food), part of the fun of gyudon is customizing it with toppings. While plenty of people are perfectly happy with eating their “cow and rice” plain, it is most often served with a little benishoga (red pickled ginger) and some form of Japanese pickles (usually kyuri asazuke – brine-pickled cucumbers – or my favorite, shibazuke – cucumbers, eggplant, and ginger pickled with red shiso and plum vinegar). Other popular toppings include shichimi (a spicy chili pepper seasoning blend), green onions, dried seaweed shavings, and poached or soft-boiled eggs. However you choose to serve it, I’m sure you’ll be singing it’s praise.
Gyudon (Japanese Beef and Rice Bowl)
Ingredients
- 1 lb shaved beef (cheap, fatty cuts like chuck or short plate are preferred)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup dashi see notes for link to recipe and substitutes
- ¼ cup soy sauce use tamari, coconut aminos, or certified gluten-free soy sauce to make this gluten-free
- ½ cup cooking sake (ryorishu)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1" piece ginger freshly grated
- dried laver shavings or seaweed furikake optional
- cooked rice to serve preferably Japanese short grain (about 1 cup per person)
Toppings
- poached or soft-boiled egg optional topping
- Japanese pickles optional topping
- diced green onion optional topping
- beni shoga (red pickled ginger) optional topping
- Shichimi togarashi (Japanese 7 spice blend) optional topping
Instructions
- In a large wok or heavy bottom saucepan, combine soy sauce, cooking sake, dashi, sugar, and sliced onion. Turn heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Continue simmering until onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in shaved beef. Return to a simmer, and continue cooking until beef is thoroughly cooked and liquid has reduced down to a thin sauce, about 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in freshly grated ginger, then remove from heat.
- Fill serving bowls with cooked rice. Smooth out the tops of the rice bowls with a spoon, fork, or similar utensil to create a level surface. Sprinkle with laver or seaweed furikake, if desired.
- Top rice bowls with beef mixture, then add any desired toppings.
Notes
- Buying shaved or thinly-sliced beef (such as that used for making Italian beef) makes this dish very quick to prepare. If you are unable to get your beef pre-sliced, you can freeze the meat and slice very thinly before it thaws (making thin, even slices like this by hand is much easier when the meat is still frozen).
- I personally like quite a bit of ginger in my gyudon, but some other recipes don’t call for as much as I use. Feel free to adjust the amount to your own taste.
- Cooking sake (ryorishu) is a relatively inexpensive form of sake that has salt added to it (making it unsuitable for drinking as a beverage). It is available in Asian markets or online. If you don’t have access to it, any normal drinking sake will work just fine (but stick with the cheap stuff, as there is no benefit to using premium sake in this).
- Dashi is a basic broth that forms the backbone of many Japanese recipes. The most common version is made from konbu (dried kelp) and bonito flakes. Click here for our recipe for making dashi. Alternatively, you can substitute an equal amount of instant Hondashi. Failing that, plain beef stock will work in a pinch, although you will sacrifice some of the authentic flavor of this dish.
