Gyudon

This dish brings back memories from college. I'd order gyudon from the LS canteen as it was a quick meal to buy for the limited time I had from CSB to the "main campus" then to William Hall for Chamber practice.

Fast forward to 2008. I attended a Maya Kitchen class on Japanese cooking. One of the dishes prepared by the instructor, Mr. Seiji Kamura, was gyudon. I has been a staple in my home menu ever since.


Ingredients:
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 big white onion sliced thinly
8 shiitake mushrooms (If you bought the dried ones, soak first in warm water for around 5 minutes. Drain then remove stems before slicing to strips)
320 grams thinly sliced beef (preferably rib-eye)

Sauce Part 1:
2 Tbsp cooking sake
6 Tbsp soy sauce (Kikkoman or Yamasa)
1 c water
1 beef bouillon

Sauce Part 2:
1/4 tsp hondashi / dashinomoto
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp mirin

4 eggs / egg yolks (optional)
Steamed Japanese rice to serve

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions and beef.
2. Add "Sauce Part 1" ingredients - sake, soy sauce, water ,bouillon and shiitake mushrooms.
3. When boiling, add "Sauce Part 2" ingredients -hondashi, brown sugar and mirin. Bring to a boil but do not overcook.

To serve:
Version 1 (left, in picture) - in a small pan over medium heat, add 1 serving size of the cooked beef and sauce and bring to a steady simmer. In a separate bowl, beat 1 egg, add to the simmering beef+sauce, and cover until the egg is cooked. Place on top of steamed rice in a bowl.

Version 2 (right, in picture) - put rice in bowls, top with beef with some sauce. Top with egg yolk.