Gyudon

For this Japanese dish of seasoned beef over rice, the beef needs to be really finely sliced so it can cook quickly. If this is proving difficult, put it in the freezer until partially frozen, and you'll be able to slice it much more easily.

Gyudon Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 3 tbsp sake
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 500 g piece of scotch fillet, very finely sliced

To serve

• steamed Japanese short-grain rice (such as koshihikari)
• beni shoga (pickled red ginger)
• shichimi togarashi
• finely sliced spring onion

Instructions

1. Place the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and 185 ml (¾ cup) of water in a large frying pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, until soft and becoming translucent.
2. Add the scotch fillet to the pan and stir so that it is mostly tucked into the liquid. Now allow the beef to gently braise in the liquid with the onions until it is just cooked through, but still tender. For a cut like scotch fillet, this will only take around 5 minutes.
3. Divide some steamed rice among bowls and top with the braised beef and onion. Serve topped with a some beni shoga, a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi and a generous amount of spring onion.

 

Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum (RRP $44.99). Photography by Armelle Habib.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.