Japanese Beef Bowl (Gyudon)

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1. 1
   Place the thinly sliced beef in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar and sake, rub together until well coated, and let marinate for 15 minutes to tenderize the meat and remove any gaminess.
   ▶ ≈2:27
2. 2
   Slice the onion into roughly 5mm-thick slices and discard the root end.
   ▶ ≈3:07
3. 3
   In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, sugar, mentsuyu, and vinegar; mix well until the sugar dissolves completely.
   ▶ ≈3:34
4. 4
   Add the well-drained shredded cabbage, corn, and shredded crab sticks to the dressing; toss together until evenly coated.
   ▶ ≈4:05
5. 5
   Heat the beef fat in a frying pan over medium heat until melted, using about half of it.
   ▶ ≈4:41
6. 6
   After warming for about 30 seconds, add the sliced onion and sauté while coating it evenly with the beef fat; cook until softened and lightly caramelized to bring out sweetness.
   ▶ ≈5:08
7. 7
   Pour in water, soy sauce, mirin, mentsuyu, and sugar; stir well and bring to a boil.
   ▶ ≈5:56
8. 8
   Reduce heat to low and gradually add the beef, spreading it out as you go to prevent clumping; use chopsticks to break apart the meat pieces as they cook.
   ▶ ≈6:17
9. 9
   Gently stir the beef and continue simmering over low heat. Once the red color fades from the meat, cook for about 1 minute more. Avoid high heat as it will toughen the meat.
   ▶ ≈6:50
10. 10
    Stir in the grated ginger until well combined. Serve immediately over rice, or allow to cool slightly with paper towels or an otoshibuta (drop lid) covering the pot to let the flavors meld deeper.
    ▶ ≈7:24