Change up the flavor of your Japanese beef rice bowl with my quick and easy recipe for Beef Donburi with Shiso Garlic Soy Sauce. The homemade, all-purpose condiment of soy sauce infused with perilla leaves and garlic adds a lovely aroma and taste to the dish.
Before You Start: For the steamed rice, please note that 2¼ cups (450 g, 3 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 6⅔ cups (990 g) of cooked white rice, enough for 3 donburi servings (5 cups, 750 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture: ¾ lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye), 1 Tbsp sake, 1 tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and 1 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Mix well with your hands.
To Cook
In a nonstick frying pan, heat a bit of neutral oil on medium heat. Add ½ onion (thinly sliced) and 1 potato (cut into thin strips) and cook until tender.
Add the meat to the pan and cook thoroughly until it is cooked through.
Add 2 Tbsp sugar and 3 Tbsp Homemade Shiso Garlic Soy Sauce and mix all together.
Let it simmer for a few minutes. Divide 3 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into individual donburi (large) bowls. Serve the beef mixture over the rice. [optional] Take out the perilla leaves from the Shiso Garlic Soy Sauce and cut into thin strips. Sprinkle them on top of the beef and serve immediately.
To Store
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.