Soboro Donburi
Updated: Feb 29
Finely ground beef simmered in savory gingery shoyu broth with peas, fresh greens and herbs over white rice, this Japanese dish checks all the boxes.
Donburi is a simple and savory Japanese dish that was hip long before rice bowls were even a thing in America.
The first donburi appeared in the Edo era. It’s basically Japanese leftovers, as it was often something restaurateurs threw together for their employees after hours. But we’ll make it sexy, don’t you worry!
Like some of my recipes, the inspiration comes from Elizabeth Andoh contributed her take on this centuries-old, working-class dish in Food & Wine back in 1981. The recipe holds strong as one of the gourmet magazine’s top 40 best recipes ever!
I concur — this dish is great! And may be one of my top 10 all-time faves. While the original is phenomenal, most of the ingredients are problematic for lectin free dieters.
My LFG version is super gut-friendly even with the peas!
Let's talk about those peas for a minute. Peas are legumes, and we know what that means — LECTINS. Dr. Gundry has always maintained that legumes like beans and peas are fine as long as they're cooked properly. But there's more. Legumes are a longevity food. Did you know that in blue zones, areas of the world where people tend to live past 100, beans are on the daily menu? Legumes such as peas and black beans are high in fiber, plant protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. So we should eat them, but just make sure you cook them correctly before you do. Pressure cooking is best. If you'd like to invest in a pressure cooker, I recommend this one from Amazon.
I find a pressure cooker is about the easiest way to de-lectinize legumes for long life.
If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can boil frozen peas for 15 minutes on high heat to eliminate most of the lectins.
Okay, enough talk. Let’s make it!
The Recipe
LFG Soboro Donburi
1 lb. Finely Ground Grassfed Beef
1/3 C Rice Wine
1/4 C Coconut Aminos
1/4 C Water
1 T Erythritol Granules
1/2 C Frozen Peas (pressure cooked)
1 T Fresh Grated Ginger
3 C Cooked Jasmine Rice of Cauliflower Rice
1 Bunch Organic Watercress
1 Bunch Organic Cilantro
Pickled Ginger
Sriracha for serving
Instructions:
Step 1: Cook the Beef
In a enameled Dutch oven on medium-high heat, add beef, wine, coconut aminos, water, and erythritol. Cook and stir for about three minutes until the meat is broken up into small pieces but not browned. Add pressure-cooked peas and ginger. Reduce heat to medium-low and keep cooking and stirring about five minutes until most of the liquid is soaked into the meat, or evaporated. Beef should be juicy, but not browned.
Step 2: Serve Family Style
In a large serving bowl, place cooked rice in bottom. Next, layer washed and dried watercress and cilantro on top of rice. Spoon the seasoned beef and peas on top of the greens. Garnish with pickled ginger. You can make your own by shaving thin ribbons from the root and soaking them in 1/4 rice vinegar and 1 T erythritol.
Serve the dish with sriracha sauce to add a little heat. Your family is going to love this one — even the kids!
ENJOY!