Sukiyaki-Style Gyudon with Onsen Egg

Method

1. Put the water and the kombu (wiped with a damp cloth) in a 16 cm pot and warm slowly over medium-low heat for 10 min. When small bubbles appear at the edge, remove the kombu just before it boils, add the bonito flakes, turn off the heat, wait 2 minutes and strain.

   Add in this stepWater (for the dashi) 250 mlKombu 5 gBonito flakes (katsuobushi) 8 g

   medium-low heat

2. In another pot, bring 1 L of water to a rolling boil over high heat, turn off the heat and add 200 ml cold water (300 ml for 1.5 L). Lower in the fridge-cold eggs with a ladle, cover and leave for 13 min, then move them to cold water. The whites will be just set and the yolks jammy.

   Add in this stepEggs (straight from the fridge) 2

   high heat

3. Slice the onion 7 mm thick, cut the ginger into fine matchsticks and thinly slice the scallion. Cut the beef into 6 cm lengths and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

   Add in this stepOnion 150 gFresh ginger, in fine matchsticks 10 gThinly sliced beef ribeye or sirloin (sukiyaki cut) 240 g

4. Heat a frying pan over high heat, melt the beef fat and lay the beef out in a single layer, in 1 batch(es). Sprinkle a little of the sugar over the meat and sear for 2 min in total, until the edges caramelise to brown (the inside can stay pink), then move it to a plate.

   Add in this stepBeef fat (or cooking oil) 8 gSugar ¼ tbsp

   high heat

5. Pour the sake and mirin into the same pan and scrape up the browned bits, then add the dashi, soy sauce, remaining sugar and onion and simmer over medium heat for 6 min, until the onion is soft and the sauce looks slightly glossy.

   Add in this stepCooking sake 2 tbspMirin 2½ tbspSoy sauce 2½ tbspSugar ¾ tbsp

   medium heat

6. Return the beef with its juices and add the ginger. Warm through over medium-low heat for just 1 min 30 sec; simmering the beef again for long makes it tough, so turn off the heat straight away.

   medium-low heat

7. Top the rice with beef and onion, spoon over two spoonfuls of sauce, crack an onsen egg into the centre and scatter with scallion. Serve with red pickled ginger and shichimi.

   Add in this stepHot cooked short-grain rice 400 gScallion 1Red pickled ginger (beni shoga) 20 gShichimi togarashi to taste