Gyudon

Before you start

• 30 minutes in the freezer to slice the beef paper-thin, or ask the butcher

Ingredients

Serves 2 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 250gbeef sirloin
• 190gshort-grain rice
• 2eggs
• 1onion
• 250mldashi
• 3 tbspsoy sauce
• 1½ tbspsugar
• 1 tsprice vinegar
• 1 thumbginger
• 2spring onions
• 30gpickled ginger

Method

7 steps

1. rest · 30m walk away

   Beef into the freezer until firm at the edges, which is what makes paper-thin slices possible with an ordinary knife.

2. boil · 20m walk away

   Rice rinsed and on with its lid, lowest heat, and left to stand ten minutes off the heat before it is touched.

3. chop · 8m

   Beef sliced as thin as it will go, onion into half-moons following the grain so it holds its shape, ginger grated, spring onions cut fine.

4. simmer · 9m

   Dashi, soy, sugar, vinegar and ginger up to a simmer with the onion, and held there until the onion is soft and translucent.

5. simmer · 5m

   Beef added slice by slice, each one shaken loose into the liquid rather than dropped in as a clump, and cooked only until the pink has gone. Any scum that rises is skimmed off.

6. boil · 9m

   Eggs into boiling water for six and a half minutes, then cold water and peeled.

7. finish · 3m

   Rice into deep bowls, beef and onion lifted on with a slotted spoon and then two spoonfuls of the broth poured over, halved egg, spring onion, pickled ginger at the side.