Gyudon

Gyudon is a Japanese bowl dish of thinly sliced beef and onion simmered in a sweet soy-based broth and served over steamed short-grain rice. It is one of the most common quick meals sold in Japanese restaurant chains.

What it really is

Gyudon is built on thinly sliced beef, usually sliced so that it cooks in minutes, and onion, simmered together in a broth of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and dashi. The meat and onion are cooked until the liquid has reduced slightly and is absorbed into the topping, then the mixture is spooned over a bowl of hot rice. Many versions finish with a little pickled red ginger on the side or a raw egg yolk on top.

It differs from similar Japanese beef dishes in its format and its preparation. Sukiyaki is cooked at the table in a shallow pan and eaten with a dipping egg, while gyudon is assembled in the kitchen and eaten from a bowl with the rice. Gyudon is also distinct from beef stew or curry rice, which use longer-cooked beef and a different sauce base.

How it's served

• Served hot in a large bowl, with the simmered beef and onion over a portion of steamed rice.
• Often accompanied by pickled red ginger (beni shoga) and sometimes miso soup.
• Eaten with chopsticks, sometimes with a raw egg yolk stirred in at the table.
• Commonly eaten as a quick single-person meal rather than shared.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the main ingredients as beef and onion over rice, for example Gyudon: sliced beef and onion simmered in soy and mirin over steamed rice.
• State that the dish contains soy sauce, which carries SOY and WHEAT allergens, and that it contains no egg unless an egg is offered as a topping.
• Specify beef type and any size option (regular, large, or topped with egg or cheese), since toppings change the dish.
• Mention pickled red ginger if served, and note that it is served hot.