Gyudon

Prepare the onion by slicing half of it thin, and half about 1cm thick. Separate the 1cm thick slices to ensure even cooking.

Cut a chunk of ginger (e.g. 1 inch cube) into slivers. Another recipe I saw said to use 1/2 tbsp ginger paste. The purpose of the ginger is to eliminate unpleasant odours from the beef, so use as much as you like, but not too much.

Combine in a medium sized pot

• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 3 tbsp cooking sake or white wine (to remove odour)
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2-3g dashi powder (optional) (to enhance umami flavour)
• 200-250g thinly sliced beef with some fat (e.g. brisket prepared for hot pot)

Bring to a boil / simmer over medium-high heat. Skim off the foam (blood and fat) to eliminate off-flavours. Cover the simmering beef with the thinly sliced onions and ginger slivers. Since I grated my ginger, I just mixed it in before adding the onions. Let the onions keep the beef submerged. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Enzymes from the onions help to tenderize the beef.

Once the 20 minutes has elapsed, add the thickly sliced onions and cook until they have reached the desired texture.

Serve with rice.

Source: Japanese Cooking Ichie