How to Cook Sukiyaki (すきやき)

Nov 11th, 2009

by Asawa.

Sukiyaki with Beer!

Some would say that Sushi is Japan’s most famous food, but it does not have a song named after it like Sukiyaki (すきやき).  We are now deep into autumn and soon it will be winter.  This period is great for cooking Sukiyaki because you can buy delicious white cabbage (hakusai) and mushrooms at the store around this time.  It is served best on a hotpot placed right on the dinner table,  but don’t let not having one stop you from trying to make this recipe.   It is perfect for a family gathering, dinner party or a dinner for two with huge appetites.  Authentic Japanese sukiyaki is not like the broth-ish type we see around the world, so don’t be suprised if it does not look like the one you are familiar with.

You can't go wrong with Usugiri, thinly sliced Japanese beef

Ingredients (serves 4-5):

* Amount of meat and vegetables can be flexible

• 400-500 g Sliced beef (Usugiri)
• 200- 300g Shirataki Noodles (しらたき/糸こんにゃくIto Konnyaku)
• 100g Enoki mushroom
• 100g Shimeji mushroom
• 1 Onion (sliced)
• 2-3 Naganegi (Long spring onion)- sliced in 2cm size
• 80g Gobo (Greater burdock root)  -thinly sliced and quickly boiled
• 1 block of Firm Tofu *Ideally grilled Ｔｏｆｕ (焼豆腐Yaki-tofu)
• Sukiyaki Sauce (Adjust the amount of Sukiyaki sauce depending on amount of vegetables and meat.)

How to Make Sukiyaki Sauce

• 1/2 cup (100cc) of Soysauce
• 1/2 cup of Rice wine (Sake or cooking sake)
• 1/2 cup of Sugar

Optional Ingredients

Egg, Mochi, Shungiku leaves (春菊)

Cooking

1. Heat 1 big spoon of cooking oil in the pan and cook beef. When beef is cooked, add seasonings for sukiyaki sauce (soysauce, sake and sugar).

2. Move the beef to one side of the pan and add shirataki, white cabbage, gobo, long spring onion, onion, tofu and mushrooms and cover the pan. (Only part of the ingredients will be soaked by sauce but they will shrink.)

3. When the ingredients shrink, mix them (among their portion of the pan) so that those on top will be soaked as well.  Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Taste and adjust flavor by adding sukiyaki sauce ingredients if necessary.

5. Serve hot.  Eat it with rice or udon which you can add in the remaining soup after you finish eating meat and vegetables!

Oh, and in case you don’t know the song I was talking about, here are a few clips from youtube for you:

Here is the original version of Sukiyaki.  It’s real title is Ue Wo Muite Arukou (Look Up When I Walk).

Here is probably the more popular English version from the 1990s:

But I prefer this acoustic cover by Kinna Granis:

Legend has it that your sukiyaki tastes better when you play these songs as you cook sukiyaki.  Ok, maybe there is no such legend, but why risk it?

Ittadakimasu!