Strips of thinly sliced pork belly take the place of beef in this salty-sweet Japanese meat and rice dish.
Cook’s notes
Much as we love gyudon, we don’t always have beef in the freezer to cook and enjoy this Japanese rice bowl dish that has become a favorite at home.
But we’re rarely out of pork. There’s always pork belly in three cuts — whole (i.e., a one kilogram slab), slices (half-inch slices in half-kilo packs) and bacon-cut (thin slices like bacon rashers also in half-kilo packs). I used bacon-cut pork belly for this dish.
The greens you see in the photo above are broccoli microgreens — a lucky find the last time I was at the supermarket. It’s not a must for this dish. Greens aren’t even a traditional component of Japanese gyudon. But if you like greens, go ahead and add them to your rice bowl. Even edamame is a great addition.
Not a fan of microgreens and edamame? Thinly sliced scallions will do just as well.
What about the egg? Does it have to be hard-boiled? No. If you want something really authentic, try raw egg yolk. If you’re worried about salmonella, stick with cooked egg — poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled or fried sunny side up.
Not a fan of microgreens and edamame? Thinly sliced scallions will do just as well.
What about the egg? Does it have to be hard-boiled? No. If you want something really authentic, try raw egg yolk. If you’re worried about salmonella, stick with cooked egg — poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled or fried sunny side up.Pork version of gyudon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 onions peeled and thinly sliced
- 500 grams thinly sliced pork belly (1.1 pounds) cut into half-inch strips
- 1 tablespoon dashi granules
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup sake
- ¼ cup mirin
- cooked rice to serve
- greens to serve
- 3 hard-boiled eggs (shelled and halved) to serve
Instructions
- Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan.
- Add the onion slices to the hot oil and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to caramelize.
- Turn up the heat to high, add the pork to the onion slices and stir to break up any clumps. Cook just until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add the dashi granules; pour in the soy sauce, sake and mirin. Stir.
- Turn down the heat to medium and cook, uncovered with occasional stirring, until the sauce has reduced to about two tablespoonfuls.
- Scoop rice into bowls, ladle the pork over the rice, arrange the eggs on the side and garnish with your choice of greens.
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