Tekka Don vs Maguro Don: Japanese Donburi Tuna Bowls

“Donburi (どんぶり)” is the Japanee word for “rice bowl dish”, which is usually abbreviated to “Don (丼)” when used in the dish name.

When I think of Japanese seafood donburi or “Kaisen Don (海鮮丼)“, what comes to my mind right away are “Tekka Don (鉄火丼)” and “Maguro Don (マグロ丼)” because I love fresh tuna sashimi slices.

Yes, the main ingredients in Tekkadon and Magurodon are both thinly sliced raw tuna, and these Japanese seafood donburis seem to tend to be translated into English as “tuna on rice” or “tuna bowl”.

Tekka-Don vs Maguro-Don: What is the Difference?

But do you know how Tekka Don and Muguro Don differ?

What is Tekka Don (鉄火丼)?

Actually, Tekka Don is a type of seafood donburi generally consisting of Sumeshi (酢飯: vinegared rice) topped with sashimi slices of Akami (赤身: red meat) of tuna.

This tune bowl is typically garnished with shredded nori (海苔: dried seaweed laver), wasabi (わさび: grated Japanese horseradish), and Gari (ガリ: vinegared ginger pickles).

In the name of Tekka Don, the term “Tekka (鉄火)” means “red hot iron”, and for this tuna bowl, tuna Akami with intense red color is usually prepared.

What is Maguro Don (マグロ丼)?

On the other hand, in the name of Muguro Don, “Maguro (マグロ)” means “tuna” in Japanese.

So not only is the red meat of tuna used, but this Kaisen Don can also have Otoro (大トロ: fatty tuna), Chutoro (中トロ: medium-fatty tuna), and Negitoro (ネギトロ: raw tuna mince with chopped green onions) on the bed of rice.

Besides, unlike Tekka Don, this tuna bowl comes with plain white rice, not Sumeshi or vinegared rice. 

In Summary

In summary, there are 2 primary differences between Tekka Don and Maguro Don; the portion of tuna meat used and the variety of rice. To make it easier to understand, here is the comparison table.

(Reference page: Kotobank 鉄火丼 )