Easy Hayashi Rice

Make Easy Hayashi Rice with rich and velvety demi-glace sauce any night of the week. I’ll show you how we whip up this family favorite with pre-made sauce mix, tender beef, and savory mushrooms. It’s Japanese comfort food at its finest!

When I was in college, the comforting Japanese beef stew called hayashi rice was on my regular meal rotation. Fast forward to today…it’s one of my son’s favorite Japanese foods that he makes for himself now! I hope you give this delicious and satisfying Hayashi Rice recipe a try so it can become your family’s favorite, too. You’ll love how quick and easy it cooks up with a package of pre-made sauce mix.

If you’re craving more stew recipes, try my Japanese Chicken Curry, Nikujaga, and Japanese Cream Stew next!

What is Hayashi Rice?

Hayashi rice (ハヤシライス) or hashed beef (ハッシュドビーフ) is a classic and popular Western-style dish in Japan. Ironically, this uniquely Japanese creation is unknown in Western countries. Sliced beef, onions, and button mushrooms are stewed in a rich sauce made of demi-glace, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic cloves, tomato paste, and bay leaf. Hayashi sauce is served alongside cooked rice.

Why I Love This Recipe

Made with tasty instant sauce mix – With the short prep time and total time, pre-made roux is so convenient to use compared to making the sauce from scratch. It’s just like using boxed Japanese curry roux. You can purchase it from Japanese/Asian grocery stores or Amazon.
Authentic home-cooked taste – Households all over Japan make hayashi rice this way. In fact, I’ve made this recipe for my own family for decades.
A comfort-food staple – With rich beef and mushrooms in a velvety, gravy-like sauce over hot steamed rice, this is a Japanese home-cooking classic loved by all ages.

Ingredients for Easy Hayashi Rice

Hayashi rice sauce mix (pre-made roux) and water
Thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye)
Cremini mushrooms
Onions
Unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooked Japanese short-grain rice – for serving

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Substitutions

Sliced beef: You can find packages of paperthin beef at Japanese grocery stores. I use beef labeled “for shabu shabu.” If you can’t find it pre-sliced, you can cut it yourself at home. To learn how, see my tutorial How To Slice Meat Thinly.
Cremini mushrooms: You can use white button mushrooms instead of brown mushrooms.

How to Make Easy Hayashi Rice

Preparation

Step 1 – Cut. Slice the onion into wedges, the mushrooms into thin slices, and the beef into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.

Cooking

Step 2 – Sauté the onions and beef. Melt a pat of butter in a hot medium pot, then cook the onions until softened. Stir in the beef, season, and cook until no longer pink.

Step 3 – Add the mushrooms and water. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Skim the scum and fat to keep the broth clear.

Step 4 – Add the roux. Turn off the heat. Dissolve one or two cubes at a time in a ladleful of hot broth, then stir it into the pot.

Assemble

Step 5 – Heat through and plate. Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes. Serve steamed rice on one side of a deep plate or shallow bowl and hayashi sauce on the other.

Step 6 – Serve. In Japan, we enjoy hayashi rice with a spoon (I used a smiling cat spoon and a tuxedo cat plate from JOC Goods).

Nami’s Recipe Tips

Sauté the onions until softened – Take the time to cook the sliced onions until they wilt and turn slightly golden. It will help develop their flavor and make it easier to brown the beef in the next step.

Skim off the scum and foam – For a clear and velvety sauce, I like to clean the debris that develops on the surface of the broth. To learn how, see my tutorial How to Skim Off the Scum and Fat from Soups and Stocks.

Dissolve the sauce cubes before adding to the pot – The solid roux cubes are super concentrated with seasonings and thickener. It’s important to completely dissolve them first in a bit of cooking liquid before stirring it into the broth. If you don’t, you might get a chunk of roux on your plate.

Turn off the heat when adding the sauce mix – The mix can easily clump up or burn on the bottom of the pot if the the heat is too high. Once you have stirred in all the dissolved sauce mix, you can turn the heat back on to gently thicken the stew.

Variations and Customizations

Make tomato hayashi rice. A popular variation in Japan is hayashi rice with tomatoes. Cook chopped fresh tomatoes and tomato ketchup in the stew for extra sweetness, tartness, and umami.
Use mixed mushrooms. I like to add a combination of mild-flavored mushrooms like shimeji, eringi, or enoki—whatever I have on hand.
Add veggies. Try adding sweet red bell pepper, carrots, green peas, or chopped parsley for extra fiber and color.
Top it with cheese. Sprinkle your favorite grated or shredded cheese on top for some melty goodness.
Repurpose the leftovers. Serve it over Omurice (Japanese omelette rice) or Japanese Hamburger Steak (hambagu). Omurice + hayashi sauce even has a name: Omuhayashi! These are common and popular menu items at Western-style diners in Japan called yoshoku-ya.

What to Serve with Easy Hayashi Rice

With vegetable side – Green Beans with Yuzu Vinaigrette makes a refreshing side dish.
With a side salad – Toss a fresh green salad with delicious Carrot Ginger Dressing.
With soup – Serve easy Corn Potage either hot or chilled.
With refreshing drink – Serve caffeine-free Mugicha (Japanese Barley Tea).

Storage Tips

To store: Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days or freezer for up to a month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to add thickener to the sauce?

The instant sauce roux already contains thickener and seasonings, so you don’t need to make a slurry with all-purpose flour and beef stock or beef broth. If it’s too watery, leave the pot uncovered and simmer over low heat for 5–10 minutes.

Easy Hayashi Rice

No ratings yet Make Easy Hayashi Rice with rich and velvety demi-glace sauce any night of the week. I'll show you how we whip up this family favorite with pre-made sauce mix, tender beef, and savory mushrooms. It's Japanese comfort food at its finest! Print Pin Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Servings: 4

Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1x2x3x

▢ 1½ onions (12 oz, 340 g)
▢ 4 cremini mushrooms (4 oz, 113 g)
▢ 10 oz thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) (I used shabu shabu beef from the Japanese market; or see how to slice meat thinly at home)
▢ 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
▢ Diamond Crystal kosher salt
▢ freshly ground black pepper
▢ 1¾ cups water
▢ ½ box Hayashi Rice Sauce (Roux) (for 4 servings, I use half a 5.6 oz, 160 g package)

For Serving

▢ 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice (see how to cook rice in a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here. Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Gather all the ingredients.

To Prepare the Ingredients

Cut 1½ onions into thin wedges.
Trim the stem ends from 4 cremini mushrooms and cut the caps into thin slices.
Cut 10 oz thinly sliced beef (chuck or ribeye) into 2-inch (5 cm) sections.

To Cook

Heat a medium pot over medium heat. When it's hot, add 1 Tbsp unsalted butter. When it's melted, add the onion and sprinkle with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Sauté for 5 minutes until slightly wilted.
Then, add the beef to the pot. Season with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Stir and cook for 2–3 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.
Add the mushrooms and stir to combine. Then, add 1¾ cups water.
Increase the heat to high, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Occasionally skim off the scum and fat floating on the stock's surface to keep the liquid clear and clean.

Add the Roux

Turn off the heat. Put 1–2 cubes from ½ box Hayashi Rice Sauce (Roux) in a ladleful of cooking liquid. Slowly stir it with a spoon or chopsticks until dissolved, then release it to the pot and stir to incorporate. Repeat with the rest of the roux, 1–2 cubes at a time.
Turn on the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide 4 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice on one side of shallow serving bowls (I used this Tuxedo Cat Salad Plate from JOC Goods) . Ladle the hayashi rice sauce on the other side. Enjoy!

To Store

Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days or freezer for up to a month.

Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen Course: Main CourseCuisine: JapaneseKeyword: stew ©JustOneCookbook.com Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any website or social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.