It’s been a while since I shared a recipe from one of my cookbooks, and now seems like a perfect time to share one of my favorites from Paleo Takeout: Gyudon! It has nothing to do with the fact that I’m super busy with work stuff right now, promise.
Gyudon, a donburi (rice bowl) dish, first became popular in the 1800s as Japan westernized and started eating more beef. Today, this dish is associated with quick meals. Nearly every Gyudon shop in Japan serves this dish with complimentary Miso Soup.
Gyudon (Gluten-free, Perfect Health Diet, Paleo, Primal, Whole30)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth (see note below)
2 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp sake or mirin
1 tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch ginger, peeled and grated, or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 lbs thinly sliced marbled beef (sirloin, tenderloin, or rib eye; see note below)
4 cups warm cooked rice or 1 batch cauliflower rice, for serving
4 large egg yolks, divided, for serving
sesame seeds, to garnish
2 green onions, sliced, to garnish
1. In a wok or skillet, warm the coconut oil over high heat until shimmering, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and sauté until softened and showing brown spots, about 4 minutes. Add the dashi, tamari, sake, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high, and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and simmer until the liquid has mostly evaporated and caramelized into a thick sauce, another 4 minutes.
2. Divide the rice among 4 bowls, then transfer the Gyudon to the bowls of rice. Top each bowl with an egg yolk and serve garnished with sesame seeds and green onions.
*** In Japan, many people like to eat this dish with extra broth; if you’re up for it, try doubling the broth ingredients and see how you like it.
*** This dish is traditionally made with dashi stock instead of chicken broth; if you’re up for it this super old recipe includes instructions on how to make dashi from scratch (note to self: update my dashi recipe!).
*** Before slicing the beef, it’s easiest to freeze it for 10 minutes so that it will stay firm when slicing.
*** Garnish this dish with your favorite pickled vegetable or togarashi powder.
*** Our favorite all-purpose rice is Nishiki calrose rice, which is grown in California.
*** Wondering what to do with the extra egg whites? Easy: Bam Bam Shrimp.
The Domestic Man 
Good one…i dont eat beef……can make chicken a substitute ..i suppose??
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I personally think pork would be a better substitut because it will be a total different taste if made with chicken
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I dont eat pork, though i have tasted while having an english breakfast. How would lamb be?
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Hi raastha, yes there is a chicken version of this dish (oyakodon); I would use chicken thighs and cook them until they’re just done, about 6 minutes. Then crack a whole egg over the mixture and cook until the egg is mostly cooked, remove from heat and serve!
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That sounds very interesting…..waiting to try it. Thanks, Vannie.
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Love all the ingredients. Delicious looking dish!
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Does your recipe call for ghee or coconut oil
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Good catch, the original recipe calls for either but i I removed the ghee in the ingredients list to simplify things – I’ve fixed the write up!
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Thanks. I’ve bookmarked your post to give this dish a try.
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Russ, looks delicious. But we buy our beef by the side or whole, and always have lots of ground, tenderized, and stew meat. The nicer cuts go pretty fast! Need more cheap cut recipes, please!
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