Japanese Beef Bowl (Gyudon) With Korean Soju

Another packed days couldn't even explore on IG, let alone Netflix and blogging.

This time, a Japanese beef bowl. So simple but as delish as what we experience in Japanese restaurants (not the fast food resto). We only need (very) thin sliced beef, soy sauce, onions, beef broth, ginger, sugar, and sake/mirin - this is the basic formula. Well, because I don't always have a broth and sake ready in my fridge, I'd like to share my substitution. I substitute the broth with another broth made of bouillon and the sake with Soju. Turned out, it tastes 99% the same. As page 32 in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking said, the quality in wine which heightens the character of cooking is not the alcohol content, which is usually evaporated, but the flavor. Because Soju is likely to be available in my fridge, (thanks to the thriller Korean dramas I watch recently), then I tried to use Soju instead. Soju and Sake both made of rice, but Soju is sweeter and taste wise, I think Soju is stronger. So I really like it with Soju.

For the substitute of broth, I used the bouillon simmered with water and voila a "broth" is ready. This gyudon shall be simmered with the broth/bouillon-broth and sake/mirin or in my case is Soju. Learning from Mrs. Child, prior to simmer the beef with other ingredients, I browned them first for more taste. Then, the rest ingredients and simmering process followed. Simmer, until the liquid is thick if not totally evaporated LOL. The selection of rice is also important for me. I'm a fan of Koshihikari rice because I love Japanese rice, and I often make onigiri for my husband (he loves onigiri). So, I don't have any other rice than Japonica rice at home. TBH, Japonica rice makes the gyudon perfect, but you can use whatever available rice tho. Happy eating!