📝 About This Recipe
Sukiyaki is the quintessential Japanese 'nabemono' or one-pot meal, celebrated for its communal spirit and luxurious flavors. Thinly sliced, highly marbled ribeye is seared and then simmered in a sweet and savory 'Warishita' sauce alongside earthy mushrooms, silky tofu, and chewy noodles. This dish offers a perfect balance of salty and sweet, creating a comforting experience that highlights the quality of its ingredients.
🥗 Ingredients
The Warishita Sauce
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce (high-quality Japanese brand)
- 1/2 cup Mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 1/4 cup Sake (dry cooking sake)
- 3 tablespoons Sugar (granulated or light brown sugar)
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound Beef Ribeye (paper-thinly sliced, well-marbled)
- 1 cube Beef Tallow (or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil)
- 1/2 head Napa Cabbage (cut into 2-inch chunks)
- 2 stalks Negi (or thick scallions, sliced diagonally)
- 8 pieces Shiitake Mushrooms (stems removed, caps decorative-cut)
- 1 bundle Enoki Mushrooms (roots trimmed)
- 1 block Grilled Tofu (Yaki-dofu) (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 7 ounces Shirataki Noodles (drained and rinsed)
- 1 bunch Chrysanthemum Greens (Shungiku) (or baby spinach)
For Serving
- 4 pieces Eggs (pasteurized, for dipping)
- 2-3 cups Steamed White Rice (short-grain Japanese rice)
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
Prepare the Warishita sauce by combining the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside.
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2
Prepare the shirataki noodles by parboiling them in boiling water for 2 minutes to remove their earthy odor. Drain and set aside.
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3
Arrange all prepared vegetables, tofu, and noodles on a large platter. Keep the beef on a separate plate to prevent cross-contamination before cooking.
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4
Place a shallow cast-iron sukiyaki pot or a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the beef tallow or add oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
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5
Sear a few slices of the beef in the hot fat. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar over the meat and cook until just browned but still slightly pink.
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6
Pour about 1/3 of the Warishita sauce over the seared beef. Taste a piece of the meat now—this is the traditional 'chef's treat' before adding the rest of the ingredients.
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7
Push the beef to one side of the pot and add the tofu, napa cabbage, negi, and mushrooms in organized clusters. Do not mix them; sukiyaki is visually categorized.
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8
Add the shirataki noodles to a corner of the pot. Important: Place the noodles away from the beef, as the calcium in the noodles can toughen the meat.
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9
Pour the remaining Warishita sauce over the ingredients. If the liquid doesn't cover the bottom third of the ingredients, add a splash of water or dashi stock.
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10
Cover the pot and simmer for about 5-7 minutes over medium heat until the vegetables are wilted and the tofu has absorbed the dark color of the sauce.
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11
Add the chrysanthemum greens (shungiku) last, as they wilt very quickly, and cook for only 1 minute.
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12
While the pot simmers, crack one fresh pasteurized egg into a small individual dipping bowl for each person and whisk lightly with chopsticks.
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13
To eat, dip the hot beef and vegetables directly into the raw egg. The egg acts as a creamy, cooling glaze that balances the salty-sweet sauce.
💡 Chef's Tips
For the best texture, partially freeze the beef for 30 minutes before slicing to get those paper-thin strips. Always place shirataki noodles away from the beef; the lime used in the noodles' processing can make the beef's protein firm up awkwardly. Don't crowd the pot; cook in batches if necessary to maintain a simmer rather than a boil. If the sauce becomes too salty as it reduces, dilute it with a small amount of water or dashi. Use a cast-iron pot if possible, as it retains the steady heat necessary for even caramelization.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve with a bowl of fluffy, steamed Japanese short-grain rice to soak up the extra sauce. Pair with a chilled dry Sake (Junmai) to cut through the richness of the marbled beef. A side of lightly pickled cucumbers (Sunomono) provides a refreshing acid contrast to the sweet broth. Finish the meal by adding leftover cooked udon noodles to the remaining sauce in the pot to soak up the final savory bits. Green tea (Sencha or Hojicha) is the perfect hot beverage to conclude this hearty meal.