Citric Acid Free Gluten Free Japanese Gyudon
This Japanese beef rice bowl is pure comfort food — savory, deeply umami-rich broth soaked into fluffy short-grain rice, topped with silky thin-sliced beef and sweet, softened onions. The flavor comes from a beautifully simple combination of dashi stock, tamari, mirin, sake, and sugar, which means there's no citrus or citric acid hiding anywhere in the bowl. That matters more than you'd think, since many store-bought sauces and pre-seasoned broths sneak in acidic additives that can be hard to spot on a label. Here, every ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify, giving you full control over what goes into the pot. The beef cooks gently right in the simmering broth, picking up all that savory sweetness while staying tender and juicy. A jammy soft-boiled egg, a scatter of scallion greens, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds make it feel like a proper restaurant bowl without any of the guesswork. It's the kind of weeknight dinner that feels indulgent but comes together with minimal fuss.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the rice
- 2 cups japanese short-grain white rice
- 2 ½ cups water
For the beef
- 1 ¼ lb beef ribeye or beef chuck, very thinly sliced (about ⅛ inch)
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
For the broth
- 1 cup dashi stock (gluten free)
- ¼ cup tamari
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 1 tbsp sugar
For serving
- 4 large eggs (optional)
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (green parts only) (optional)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- pickled red ginger (beni shoga), for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the rice in a medium saucepan under cold water, swirling and draining 3–4 times until the water runs mostly clear. Add 2 1/2 cups fresh water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook, covered, for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam, still covered, for 10 minutes.
- 2
While the rice cooks, combine the dashi stock, tamari, mirin, sake, and sugar in a large skillet or wide saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
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