The Secret to Happiness: Beef Gyudon

The Secret to Happiness: Beef Gyudon

Origin

The literal translation of Gyudon is beef bowl as “Gyu” means beef and “Don” means bowl of rice. Due to its simplicity, this recipe is a popular dish within the Japanese food culture. 

This Gyudon recipe is not only cheap and easy to make but it is also extremely delicious!

Despite thinly sliced beef being a main ingredient in Japanese cuisine, it hasn't always been that way! Until 1862 beef was actually prohibited to eat in Japan as it was deemed unclean and spiritually wrong. 

The story behind this ban goes back to 1872 when a group of Japanese Buddhist Monks broke into the Imperial Palace so that they could speak to the emperor. Upon their entry they encountered a line of angry guards which fought half of the monks to death. The monks' explanation for this was that the emperor had eaten beef a few weeks prior to the attack and so they deemed this as damaging for the human soul. As a result of this idea, consuming meat was banned for 1,200 years!

This Buddhist belief influenced Japanese people as they appreciate the meat used in cooking through exquisite recipes. 

Japanese Gyudon Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Onion
1 Pack of Freshasia Sliced Beef
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp of Dashi Powder
2 tbsp of Sake
2 tbsp of Mirin
2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
Rice
Pinch of Pickled Ginger
1 Spring Onion - chopped

Method

1. Add the vegetable oil to a large pan and allow the onion to sweat

2. Stir in the beef and onion together, then add sugar and Dashi powder until brown

3. Mix in the sake, Mirin and soy sauce. Then simmer for 5 minutes

4. Serve over fluffy steamed rice, (check out how to make the perfect rice here), add a pinch of pickle and spring onion.

5. Tuck in to your delicious bowl of your Gyudon!


Ingredients are available from the best Chinese supermarket online - Sing Kee