Gyūdon is one of the most popular and inexpensive fast food dishes in Japan. Its name can be literally translated to beef bowl. The dish consists of beef and onions served over a bowl of rice. Beef and onions are cooked in a combination of mirin, sugar, sake, and soy sauce, imparting a salty-sweet flavor to the dish.
In the restaurants, known as gyūdon-ya, there is often pickled red ginger and red chili at the table, so anyone can season their dish according to personal preferences. The restaurants are often frequented by numerous hungry students who eat on a budget, and some of those restaurants are open 24 hours a day.
MOST ICONIC Gyūdon
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Sukiyaki is the Japanese sweet and salty hot-pot meal. It is usually prepared tableside on a portable gas stove, in a traditional shallow iron pan. This popular Japanese dish is usually made with beef, preferably the well-marbled tender cuts. However, some varieties employ pork or even tofu, creating the vegetarian version of the dish.
Other ingredients in sukiyaki include sliced Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, leeks, gelatinous konnyaku noodles, and shungiku leaves. All the ingredients are then quickly cooked in a mixture of mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Sukiyaki is a communal style dish, served in one pot, then shared among a larger group of people.
MOST ICONIC Sukiyaki
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Dorai karē or dry curry is a simple Japanese dish including curry fried rice and a thick and dry curry meat sauce on top of the rice. When made at home, it is often prepared by using leftovers. The curry meat sauce is typically made with a combination of ground beef, vegetables, curry powder, and soup stock.
It is believed that dorai karē was based on an Indian dish called keema curry.
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Gyukatsu is a deep-fried beef cutlet that is traditionally made with wagyu beef. The cutlet is seasoned and coated in breadcrumbs before it is shortly fried until crispy. It is then served sliced into bite-size pieces. In restaurants, gyukatsu is usually accompanied by various sides that may include miso soup, sliced cabbage or other vegetables, pickled vegetables, dipping sauces, wasabi, barley rice, or tororo—grated yams.
Optionally, a portable grill will be provided if a guest wants to additionally grill each piece of gyukatsu because most restaurants prepare the meat raw to medium rare.
MOST ICONIC Gyukatsu
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