Sukiyaki I learned to make in Kyushu Japan
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 pounds roast beef bottom round
- 1 package tofu
- 1 head chinese cabbage
- 1 container mushrooms choose favorite
- 2 bundles green onions
- 2 each yellow onion
- 1 each zucchini
- 1/4 cup aji mirin
- 3/8 cup sugar
- 8 each eggs
- 6 cup rice cooked short grain (japansese)
- 2 packages cellophane noodles
- Carbohydrate 94.6146414779412 g
- Cholesterol 286.344 mg
- Fat 27.551593625 g
- Fiber 3.59592623566836 g
- Protein 40.854424 g
- Saturated Fat 10.027854675 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (649g)
- Sodium 1069.6369125 mg
- Sugar 91.0187152422728 g
- Trans Fat 3.69864693750001 g
- Calories 786 calories
Step-by-step
- The key to good sukiyaki is getting very thin cuts of the beef. An expensive cut of beef is not needed as the sauce dominates the flavor. Freeze the roast the night before the meal. Allow it to thaw a couple of hours before shaving/slicing. I do this by hand with a very sharp knife and a pair of oven mitts. There's a technique to it. It's difficult but worth it. The frozen slices will quickly thaw. (Note: Local butchers typically won't be able to slice it this thin. They have the equipment but they won't use it on raw meat. If they offer to do it with a saw, the slices won't be thin enough.)
- Cook cellophane noodles about 8' then drain
- Slice all veggies and tofu to bite size chunks. Cut chinese cabbage to remove fibrous center.
- Combine soy, aji-mirin (sweet white wine can be used as a substitue), and sugar to the proprotions of 4 soy:3 sugar:2 aji-mirin. I find for a large skillet 1/2c soy, 3/8c sugar and 1/4c of Aji is the right amount of sauce.
- Add the sauce meat and veggies into a hot skillet (350deg electric skillet, med heat gas/electric stove).
- Stir to get as much of the content into the sauce, especially the meat. Cover and stir every 5 minutes making sure to break apart the meat slices. After about 15' or until the meat and veggies look done, add the noodles for the last 2 minutes or so.
- Put the skillet on the table, use fresh, raw and stirred eggs as the dipping/cooling sauce, and serve with Japanese steamed white rice.
Unlike brothy hot pot variations that rely on simmering ingredients in vast quantities of seasoned water, sukiyaki is fundamentally a shallow-pan braise driven by a concentrated mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. This sauce-to-solid ratio dictates how every component behaves in the skillet. Achieving success starts with the protein preparation. Freezing the beef bottom round the night before and letting it thaw just enough to retain structural rigidity allows a sharp knife to carve paper-thin sheets that cook instantly when they hit the heat.
Scaling Proportions and Managing Yields
Modifying this recipe requires maintaining the precise flavor foundation established by the classic ratio of four parts soy sauce, three parts sugar, and two parts mirin. Doubling or halving the batch depends entirely on skillet capacity rather than cooking time. Crowding the pan drops the surface temperature below the necessary 350-degree threshold, turning a fast braise into a soggy steam bath. Batch cooking remains essential when serving larger groups, as stacking cabbage, tofu, and cellophane noodles too high prevents the simmering liquid from reaching the upper layers evenly.
Ingredient Integrity and Heat Control
Fresh vegetables release water as they cook, which dilutes the simmering sauce, whereas dehydrated or preserved items absorb moisture and demand careful liquid adjustments. Monitoring the cabbage core thickness ensures proper softening without turning the leafy edges to mush. Cellophane noodles go into the skillet only during the final two minutes to absorb excess pan juices without disintegrating into a paste. Bringing the electric skillet directly to the table preserves the heat while guests dip hot morsels into bowls of beaten raw egg to instantly temper the temperature.
