Donburi

[Jason Perlow]

Katsu-don is my favorite. Ten-don isnt bad either, but I dont like it when the tempura gets too soggy.

[nightscotsman]

I love Oyakodon and Katsudon, but my favorite is Curry Katsudon. Ah, Japanese comfort food!

[smallworld]

I actually don't really like katsudon. I think it is such a waste to deep-fry something and then cover it (or even simmer it!) in a sauce, thus ruining the crunch.

Tendon I can handle, since there's usually less sauce. But even then I usually order the smallest donburi and order more tempura on the side, without sauce.

When eating out, oyakodon is my favourite. At home definately tekka-don- so easy to make, and so satisfying! But my specialty is 'leftover-don', featuring yesterday's mabodofu or curry.

[torakris]

I really "don" just about anythiing!

I don't know what it is a about curry-katsudon, but I love the stuff.

All the amusement parks, aquariums, museums, etc have this on the menu and for some reason I am always drawn to it!

[torakris]

made a negi-toro don last night. wonderful!

negitoro= minced raw tuna mixed with Japanese leeks (negi) and soy.

You have to eat this one really fast because the hot rice starts to cook the tuna on the bottom.

[Jinmyo]

I actually don't really like katsudon. I think it is such a waste to deep-fry something and then cover it (or even simmer it!) in a sauce, thus ruining the crunch.

I agree.

I always serve the sauce as a dipping sauce for the tonkatsu. I usually don't "don" it either as the steam from the rice can ruin the lacy structure of the breading.

[torakris]

my recipe for the tomato donburi has been added to the recipe archive:

http://recipes.egullet.com/recipes/r335.html

[nightscotsman]

my recipe for the tomato donburi has been added to the recipe archive:

http://recipes.egullet.com/recipes/r335.html

That sounds good! Thanks for posting.

[torakris]

Are you a nice person?

http://www.yoshinoya-dc.com/eng/yoshinoya/top.html

Sometimes nothing hits the spot better then a steaming bowl of gyudon.

Yoshinoya (synonamous with gyudon in Japan) even serves breakfast, click on menu to see the offerings.

Please not though that while breakfast service starts at 5:00am, you can't order beer or sake until 6:00am

[tissue]

Yeah I gyudon....

We have lots of yoshinoyas here in LA.

I know a guy who can prop up the bowl while he is driving with his knees and eat and drive simultaneously.

[herbacidal]

Yeah I gyudon....

We have lots of yoshinoyas here in LA.

I know a guy who can prop up the bowl while he is driving with his knees and eat and drive simultaneously.

i've heard a lot more recently about people doing all kinds of stuff while driving. that's a new one though.

[herbacidal]

beer not allowed until 6am?

jeez, what is this world coming to.

[Gary Soup]

Are you a nice person?

http://www.yoshinoya-dc.com/eng/yoshinoya/top.html

Sometimes nothing hits the spot better then a steaming bowl of gyudon.

Yoshinoya (synonamous with gyudon in Japan) even serves breakfast, click on menu to see the offerings.

Please not though that while breakfast service starts at 5:00am, you can't order beer or sake until 6:00am

No, I'm a curmudgeon. Yosihnoya tried its luck here in San Francisco a decade or so ago but it quickly failed, and never returned. Probably too exotic for us. (Or it may have been the ugly orange plastic bowls they seemed to serve everything in then.) As I recall, it was barely a step up from Top Ramen.

[torakris]

Yoshinoya gyudon is really one of those Japanese comfort foods, it isn't really good but every now and then you NEED it.

Now REAL gyudon is a different story....................

[MRX]

So NYC now has two Yoshinoya's (one of my favorites after alnight drinking in Tokyo, a little beef, egg, rice, and miso soup before bed). Due to health regulations, raw eggs cannot be offered at the shops in NYC - my question, what do you think will happen if I wrap an egg from my house, and bring it with me for the gyudon next time I go? I am seriously considering it - but not looking for any problems with management.

[herbacidal]

So NYC now has two Yoshinoya's (one of my favorites after alnight drinking in Tokyo, a little beef, egg, rice, and miso soup before bed). Due to health regulations, raw eggs cannot be offered at the shops in NYC - my question, what do you think will happen if I wrap an egg from my house, and bring it with me for the gyudon next time I go? I am seriously considering it - but not looking for any problems with management.

Hmm, that's an interesting question.

My speculative guess would be as long as it never touches their hands, it's fine.

It's something you yourself did to the food.

By the same token, if you got sick because of it, and tried to sue the place for giving you bad food without actually mentioning your doctoring of the food,

(as I can imagine certain less scrupulous individuals would do), I can also see them erring on the side of caution and not allowing it.

But my gut tells me it'll be okay, as long as they witness you placing the raw egg on top.

In that situation, it's just like bringing your own salad dressing, as I've heard some people do.

[torakris]

That is an interesting question!

I quess if you did it when no one was looking it wouldn't be a problem, but I can also see the point of them not letting you for legal reasons.

Hhhhmmmmmmmmmmm........

quess there is only one way to find out

Let us know what happens!

[ankomochi]

In fact, there are three Yoshinoya in NY now! 42nd street, 46th street, and 23rd street.

As far as i know, NY Yoshinoya did offer raw eggs for eat-in only when they opened the restaurant. For takeout, they will not offer raw eggs. i didn't know that they no longer offer raw eggs. I don't see any problem bringing your own eggs.

[sandra]

Tentoji-don

Had it for lunch yesterday - again -

A nice bowl of rice, a layer of caramelized onions and maybe some caramelized grated carrots? some kind of thin "sauce" that is sweet yet salty, 2 tempura prawns, and a runny poached egg...

It is quickly becoming my favourite lunch....

What exactly goes into this?

[torakris]

Sandra,

That sounds wonderful, I have never actually had a ten-toji don and have actually never even heard of it, but I can figure out what it is by its name.

It basically is a ten-don (or tempura donburi) that is cooked briefly with egg, until the egg is still slightly runny or just cooked. This style of cooking with a just barely set egg mixed with protein and vegetables is called ~~toji, the ~~ represents the the other foods involved. For example if it is made with eel it is called unagi-toji, if you make it with pork and chrysanthemum leaves it would be called butaniku-shungiku-toji.

The sauce you are describing is a typical ama-kara sauce (ama from amai meaning sweet and kara from karai for salty).

Here is how you would make this:

first you would make the tempura (or use store bought )

then is a smallish pan you would make the sauce (this makes enough for 2), bring to a boil and let simmer for a couple minutes: 100 ml water (just under 1/2 cup), 1 Tablespoon each of soy sauce, mirin and sugar (this can be adjusted to taste)

Then take the freshly deep fried tempura and place it into the sauce to coat it well , if you place this on top of the rice now you will have ten-don.

To make the ten-toji don you need to go a step further, it is best to make only one at a time, so take a very small frypan and place half of the sauce in it, then add the tempura and turn it so it is coated well. Take one large egg, break it into a small bowl and mix it, then pour this egg over the mixture in the frypan trying to cover everything, do this quickly and then immediately cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat for about 30 seconds of until the egg is cooked to your liking.

You can then slide this out of the frypan onto a large bowl of rice.

You can use this same sauce and technique to make oyako-don, the donburi with chicken and egg, just cook the chicken and some scallions in teh sauce until cooked through and follow with the egg technique.

Enjoy!

[sandra]

Kristin,

I have everything in the kitchen and will try it tomorrow - sounds like it's going to replicate the dish, only the egg they have on it is poached so that the runny yolk disperses throughout the rice below.... yummmm... but I will try it your way first.

Thanks!

s

[dvanryzin]

Aloha - I'm new here...sort of stumbled on this while looking for a new set of pots!

My husband and I lived in Japan for 2 years (Eigo no sensei!). I come from "TV-dinner, mac and cheese" family and can't cook more than 2 dishes! So, I had a VERY difficult time in Japan. We ate out A LOT - everyday in fact. And we became very famous.

I fell in love with many types of food out there. My #1 favorite is a big, hot bowl of gyudon with a raw egg cracked over it, miso soup on the side and barley tea.

Everytime we go back to Japan we search for the Yoshinoya or Sukiya. You can stuff yourself for 800 yen or less. We eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

#2 favorite is Japanese yakiniku. A "Gyu-kaku" opened here in Hawaii last year and I've been there, on average, 2 times a month...maybe more. I love it!

Sadly, we have no gyu-don place. :(

I do have a receipe. But it's not the same. I'm making it tonight. I add things and make it more like a suki-yaki sort of meal.

Does anyone have a good - REAL - (well, as close to Sukiya's taste!) recipe for guydon?

My recipe uses 1/4 cup mirin, 1/4 cup sake, 1/4 cup brown sugar, water, white onion and meat. Plus - dashi. It's just not the same as Sukiya's. I know...terrible that I want it to taste like a "chain"!

Anyway - hello to everyone!

Denise in Hawaii

[torakris]

Denise,

Welcome to egullet and the Japan Forum!!

I have to admit I have never eaten at Sukiya and I have been to Yoshinoya maybe twice in 14 years. so I am not sure exactly the taste you are going for....

But here is my recipe for gyudon,

For 4

Heat 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup mirin and 1/4 cup soy sauce in a sauce pan and bring to boiling.

(You can use either regular onions or scallions, if using regular onions add them to the pan with the sauce)

add 12 oz very thinly sliced beef and and keep at a strong simmer until cooked to your liking

if using scallions add them and then simmer (strongly) for about 30 seconds

spoon over hot rice, adding as much liquid as desired top with a raw egg (or just yolk) some beni-shouga and shichimi

[torakris]

a quick look at the Japanese yahoo turns up some copycat recipes for Yoshinoya gyudon, though they are all different the one thing they all have in common is sweet white wine....

[Hiroyuki]

Try this recipe (for two gyudon):

- Beef (short plate, which contains fat) (You know, fat is the key.): 160 g

- Onion: 40 g

- White wine (or Japanese sake; I use sake): 140 ml

- Soy sause: 18 ml

- Sugar: 6 g

- Grated ginger: 3 g

- Garlic chip: 6 pcs.

- Pepper

- Water: 180 ml

***

1) Cut beef and soak in white wine for 20 minutes.

2) Cut onions.

4) Pour water into a pan, add white wine (but not the beef), soy sauce, sugar, grated ginger, garlic chips, and pepper. Bring it to a boil, then strain. The stock is ready!

5) Return the stock to the pan, add beef and onions, boil for 5 minutes. OK, it's done.

This is a simplified version of a full Yoshinoya-style recipe. Try this and if you're not satisfied, give me a reply. OK?

I myself make gyudon with this recipe, and the taste is not bad, actually fairly good. For a better result, double the quantity of each ingredient for four gyudon.

Edited April 20, 2004 by Hiroyuki (log)