Yakuza Like a Dragon: Gyudon

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is my game of the year. The moment it was released, Jeff and I spent so many hours going through our playthrough of the game. I will be avoiding any major (and even minor) spoilers that didn’t appear in the trailers. I loved everything about this game so much and really enjoyed the new combat system. All previous Yakuza games were fast paced brawlers. But in Yakuza 7, Ichiban imagines his fights as if they were being done through his favorite game series Dragon Quest. Each fight transforms the party and enemies into more RPG looking characters and is done completely turn-based. I found this change to be really refreshing for the series.

The job system is interesting but feels like it misses something. It started intriguing, but I eventually just put everyone in every job to get the two cross-class skills in each. I hope in the next game we see this built on and the party members are more focused than they were. Having a variety of magic on party members is nice but not every party member should have access to Ice Spreader. Let’s just say that skill made some fights a little easier than they should have been.

The game opens up with young Ichiban prior to his prison time. We get to know a little bit about his past and his connections to the Tojo Clan. This section of the game is pretty short but it really helps build the foundation of everything the main story is about. It also introduces us to how loyal and supportive Ichiban is as a character overall. Before Ichiban turns himself in to the police, he decides to treat himself to his last meal as a free person. He decides to go with his personal favorite, gyudon. What can be more perfect than a bowl of thinly sliced meat and onions over rice? Once you have your dashi prepared, making a bowl of this is relatively quick and is great to make during a busy weeknight. This also makes enough for about four to six servings and makes perfect leftovers!

Dashi
1 ½ cups water
1 piece of kombu
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
⅔ cup dried bonito flakes

Place the kombu and shiitake mushrooms in a pot with the water. Allow it to rest for one hour.

After the hour has passed, place the pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Right before the water comes to a boil, remove the kombu. Add the bonito flakes and simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for five minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer into another container. You should have about ¾ cup of dashi stock, which can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Gyudon
¾ cup dashi stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
3 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 lbs ribeye steaks, very thinly sliced
3 cups rice, cooked
beni shoga (red pickled ginger)

Begin by placing all the beef in the freezer for at least an hour before you begin to make the beef bowls. This will make it much easier to cut the beef thinly. Once slightly chilled, carefully cut the meat as thin as possible.

Combine the dashi stock, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and garlic in a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer lightly for ten minutes.

Return the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook the onions for about ten to fifteen minutes or until they are soft and translucent.

Add the ribeye. Simmer for five to eight minutes or until the meat is just cooked. To serve, place a ½ cup of cooked rice in a bowl and top with the simmered beef and onions. Pour a small amount of the sauce over the beef. Serve with pickled ginger.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Gyudon

Ingredients

Dashi

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 piece of kombu
• 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
• ⅔ cup dried bonito flakes

Gyudon

• ¾ cup dashi stock
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sake
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 1 onion thinly sliced
• 2 lbs ribeye steaks very thinly sliced
• 3 cups rice cooked
• beni shoga red pickled ginger

Instructions

Dashi

• Place the kombu and shiitake mushrooms in a pot with the water. Allow it to rest for one hour.
• After the hour has passed, place the pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Right before the water comes to a boil, remove the kombu. Add the bonito flakes and simmer for fifteen minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for five minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer into another container. You should have about ¾ cup of dashi stock, which can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Gyudon

• Begin by placing all the beef in the freezer for at least an hour before you begin to make the beef bowls. This will make it much easier to cut the beef thinly. Once slightly chilled, carefully cut the meat as thin as possible.
• Combine the dashi stock, soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and garlic in a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer lightly for ten minutes.
• Return the heat to medium and add the onions. Cook the onions for about ten to fifteen minutes or until they are soft and translucent.
• Add the ribeye. Simmer for five to eight minutes or until the meat is just cooked. To serve, place a ½ cup of cooked rice in a bowl and top with the simmered beef and onions. Pour a small amount of the sauce over the beef. Serve with pickled ginger.