Microwave gyudon (Japanese beef bowl)

Name: Microwave gyudon (Japanese beef bowl)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ⅓ cup long-grain white rice; 1 cup water, divided; 1 pinch salt; 1½ tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp mirin; 1 tsp sugar; 1 pinch ground ginger; 2 green onions; 3 oz shaved steak; ½ tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Thin, tender beef simmered in sweet soy and mirin with scallions over rice, the Japanese fast-food beef bowl made in about ten minutes.

30 min total
10 min hands-on
Follow-a-recipe easy
Serves 1
About $2.47 a serving
460 calories
Dairy-free

Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.

Ingredients

For 1 servings.

⅓ cup long-grain white rice
1 tbsp mirin
2 green onions
3 oz shaved steak
½ tsp sesame seeds (optional)

From your pantry

1 cup water, divided
1 pinch salt
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 pinch ground ginger

Each serving has about 460 calories, 24 g protein, 65 g carbs and 11 g fat, and costs about $2.47 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
No green onions? Chives work.
No shaved steak? Sirloin steak works.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

the rice in a large microwave-safe bowl: cover it with cold water, swirl it with the fork, and pour the cloudy water off, holding the rice back with the fork.
Dolly’s tip: That’s how you rinse rice without a strainer. It washes off loose starch, which is what makes rice gummy.
Add ¾ cup of the water and the salt, set the bowl on a plate, and microwave uncovered on high for 5 minutes, until boiling.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Use your biggest bowl. Rice water foams up and a small bowl boils over.
Cover with a plate and microwave at 50% power for 8 to 10 minutes, until the water is gone and little holes dot the surface.
Timer: 9 min
Dolly’s tip: If the rice is still firm, add 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and give it 2 minutes more.
Leave the rice covered to steam while you make the beef.
Stir the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger and the last 3 tablespoons of water in another microwave-safe bowl, tear in the green onions, and microwave 1 minute until bubbling.
Timer: 1 min
Pull the shaved steak apart into loose strips and stir it into the hot sauce so every piece is coated.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cover and microwave 1 minute, stir, then microwave in 30-second bursts until no pink is left.
Timer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: Thin beef cooks fast and toughens if it goes too long. Stop as soon as the pink is gone.
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Fluff the rice, pile the beef and green onions on top, pour the sauce over, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Dolly’s tip: Let the sauce soak into the rice. That is the best part of a beef bowl.