Hello everyone! This is Haruka🌸
Are you having a fun week? If you follow my Instagram, you probably know that I went for a drive to Gunma Prefecture last weekend.
Honestly, I think everyone seriously underestimates Gunma. Do you think it's just a place with mountains, hot springs, and cabbage? But Gunma's nature is truly breathtakingly beautiful, and above all, the food is amazing!
Today, I'd like to share a recipe using something very special that I discovered on that trip.
Many of my international friends from university were Muslim, and they always say, "It's really hard to experience authentic Wagyu beef when you come to Japan." Outside of Tokyo, it's really difficult to find halal-certified Wagyu beef.
But Gunma is actually evolving in this respect! What I discovered is Joshu Wagyu, a halal-certified beef that Gunma is proud of. This beef is truly like butter, with beautiful marbling, and it completely melts in your mouth.
I bought a pack of beautifully sliced halal Gunma beef from a local specialty shop and last night I made the ultimate Japanese comfort food, "Halal Gyudon"! It tasted just like the gyudon from famous chain restaurants, but the quality of the Gunma beef was so amazing that it was even more delicious.
I'll share a super easy yet authentic recipe so you can make it at home!
🥢 Perfect home-style halal beef bowl
Gyudon (beef bowl) is literally the soul food of Japanese university students and busy office workers. It's sweet, salty, and can be made in under 20 minutes.
The biggest challenge in making Japanese food halal is replacing mirin (a sweet rice wine with added alcohol) and cooking wine , which are standard ingredients in most sauces. But don't worry! I've done a lot of experimenting in my kitchen and found the perfect alternative combination that preserves the authentic umami flavor without using alcohol.
🛒 Ingredients (for 2 people)
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Halal Gunma beef (or thinly sliced halal beef): 300g (Please choose pieces with a little fat! Lean meat will be tough.)
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Onion: 1 large (sliced into medium-sized wedges)
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Freshly cooked Japanese rice: 2 large bowls 🍚
[Halal stock]
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Water: 200ml
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Halal kelp stock granules: 1 teaspoon (Please be sure to check the back of the package to ensure that no alcohol or meat extracts are added!)
[The Secret Halal Sauce]
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Halal soy sauce: 4 tablespoons
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100% apple juice: 3 tablespoons (This is my secret trick! It perfectly complements the natural sweetness and fruitiness of the mirin!)
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Sugar: 1.5 tablespoons
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Ginger: 1 teaspoon (grated)
🍥 Toppings (optional)
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Green onions: finely chopped
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Pickled ginger: It's optional, but adding it instantly gives the dish the feel of a Tokyo restaurant!
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Egg yolk (or soft-boiled egg): Only use if you have pasteurized, edible raw eggs! It makes the sauce incredibly creamy.
👩🍳 How to make it
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables and sauce.
First, slice the onion. Don't slice it too thinly, but leave it thick enough so that it retains its texture when cooked. In a small bowl, mix together water, dashi granules, soy sauce, apple juice, sugar, and grated ginger. Stir well until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
Step 2: Cook the onions first.
Pour the sauce into a medium-sized frying pan and heat over medium heat. Once it comes to a gentle boil, add all of the sliced onions. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Continue simmering until the onions are soft, translucent, and have absorbed plenty of the delicious brown color of the soy sauce.
Step 3: The star of the show arrives! (Beef!)
Once the onions have softened, spread the thinly sliced Gunma beef evenly over the onions.
🌸 Haruka's Pro Tip: Don't dump the beef in as a big chunk! When adding it to the pan, spread the slices out one by one. Because the beef is cut so thinly, it cooks very quickly. If you leave it in a chunk, it will cook unevenly.
The beef only needs to be cooked for 3-4 minutes . As soon as the pink color disappears and it turns a beautiful cooked brown, turn off the heat! If you overcook Wagyu beef, it will lose its magical tenderness. You don't want to ruin such beautiful Gunma beef.
Step 4: Make it into a bowl!
Fill two deep bowls with steaming hot, freshly cooked rice. Top the rice with plenty of onions and beef that have soaked up the sweet and savory sauce, and then—this is the most important part—pour a few spoonfuls of sweet and salty broth over the top, letting it soak into the rice.
Finally, top with chopped green onions, and if you want a little more punch, add pickled ginger, and drop an egg yolk in the middle.
💭 Haruka's Food Review
Oh my goodness. The moment the broth touched the steaming hot rice, the kitchen was filled with a heavenly aroma.
Perhaps because they use the highest quality Gunma beef, the fat melts into the sauce, resulting in a very rich and luxurious flavor. The apple juice played its role perfectly! There's no apple taste at all, and it perfectly replicates the exquisite sweetness and richness that mirin provides.
Even my non-Muslim roommate took a bite and said, "Honestly, it's tastier than Yoshinoya or Sukiya." I was so proud! 😭✨
If you live in Japan or are visiting, be sure to look for halal Joshu Wagyu beef! It's very important to support local farmers in Gunma who are striving to be inclusive for Muslim travelers, and above all, the quality is truly top-notch.
If you've tried making this recipe, please let us know in the comments! We also welcome requests for more alcohol-free, halal-friendly Japanese recipes!
See you later! Bye-bye! 💖