Gyudon

Serves 4

2 cups dashi (see note below)

¼ cup sake

1 medium yellow onion, sliced in thin crescents

1 Tokyo negi (or 1 small leek), trimmed, cut into thin slices

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp fine-ground sea salt

1 tsp mirin, or equivalent volume of 1 part water, 1 part honey

½ pound very thinly sliced beef fillet (about ⅛ inch thick)

1½ cups dry weight white or brown rice

1 scallion, sliced thin for garnish

Place dashi/broth and sake in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and Tokyo negi (or leek) and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the soy, sugar, salt, and mirin. Add the beef and simmer until it is just cooked through, about 40 seconds (it will cook rapidly if cut into paper-thin slices).

Lay out 4 bowls. Fill each one with hot cooked rice and ladle even portions of the beef mixture over the top. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of scallion.

NOTE: If dashi (Japanese fish/vegetable stock) is unavailable, use 2 cups vegetable stock with 5 or so nickel-sized wedges of ginger for the soup base.