Gyudon – Japanese Beef Rice Bowl

I was walking in the beef section of the supermarket when i came across a display of thinly sliced beef. They were all pre-packed, and unlabelled.

I remember asking Nami, of Just one Cookbook, what was the best type of beef for Yoshinoya’s kind of beef bowl. She answered that they were just cheap scraps of beef, also known as komagire.

I took one pack of the beef in my hand, and discovered that they had strings of fats at the sides of each slice, which is just the way Yoshinoya’s beef was. At Rp.18000/100grams (about $2),these packs were also considerably cheaper than the shabu beefs, which were placed just a few metres away.

I purchased a pack, and went ahead with my Gyudon adventure.

 

And, so here it is,

These beef slices were slightly chewier and tougher than Yoshinoya’s. I guess it’s because they weren’t as thinly sliced.

Following Nami’s recipe, but omitting the egg, the flavour of this dish come pretty close to Yoshinoya’s.

Whoopee! Another Just One Cookbook recipe that’s becoming a staple in our household.

Gyudon Recipe

Taken from Just One Cookbook

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 2 green onions
• 3/4 lb thinly sliced beef (Shabu Shabu beef or Komagire beef)
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. sake
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 eggs (omitted)
• pickled ginger (Kizami Shoga) for garnish (omitted)

 

Instructions:

1. Slice the onion and green onion thinly, and cut the meat into small pieces.

1. Heat the skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. Stir-fry the onions until wilted.

1. Add the beef and sprinkle sugar and cook until browned.

1. Add sake, mirin, and soy sauce and mix together.

1. Reduce the heat and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

1. Pour the beaten egg all over the meat and cover quickly. Cook until the eggs are almost cooked. Add the green onion right before you remove from the heat. (I omitted this step)

1. Serve over steamed rice and drizzle the sauce over. Top with pickled ginger if you like.

Enjoy!

Country Fried Steaks and Homemade Fries

Instead of baking today’s breakfast menu, i fried.

I fried up country fried steaks and some homemade fries.

I used minute steaks for the erm.. steaks (duh). Minute steaks, or also known cube steaks is a pre-tenderized cut of beef. Its surface is pockmarked from all that pounding with a mallet. This cut of beef is thin and cooks quickly, which makes it perfect for this occasion.

Then we had the homemade fries, and the over-used carrots and broccoli (i so need to find alternatives for my choice of veggies).

The potatoes were first cut into shoestrings, then soaked with ice water for about an hour. They were then fried once till pale and blond, let to rest on paper towels, and re-fried again just when they were about to get served.

Together, they made a really really satisfying and filling breakfast set. They HAD to be good, for the sake of all that mess and oil splatters in my kitchen. *wipes sweat from brow*

Country fried steaks and milk gravy
Recipe taken from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients (yields 4 servings)

• 4 (4 ounce) cube steaks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup lard
• 1 cup milk

 

Directions

1. Season meat with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper; set aside. In a shallow dish, mix flour with 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Dredge each steak in flour. Dip in beaten egg, then dredge in flour again.
2. Heat lard in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry steaks 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the dredging flour into oil. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of skillet. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons pepper; gravy should be quite peppery.