Autumn Sukiyaki

As our days get shorter and the leaves turn into shades of orange and red, our appetites seem to seek cozy, warm, comfortable dishes. Well, here’s a Japanese hot pot recipe that is sure to satisfy those cravings on a brisk fall or winter day.

Sukiyaki is a cold-weather hot pot dish, only requiring three main components; beef, sauce, and toppings. Like most hot pot dishes around the world, sukiyaki is a communal dish—typically done at the table with family or friends. If you have a small electric or induction stove this is a great opportunity to bust it out and invite some buddies on over!

Let’s talk beef. It’s the star of the dish after all… What we’re looking for is shaved, or thinly sliced beef. You can usually find ‘hot pot’ or ‘sukiyaki’ style pre-shaved beef at your local Asian market. Ribeye or short rib are great cuts to use, but wagyu is delicious if you’re willing to fork over a pretty penny. If you are unable to find shaved beef, pop a block of meat in the freezer for half an hour then slice away.

Using cuts with a higher fat content aids in adding flavor to the dish as well as keeps the meat juicy and succulent.

Traditionally, sukiyaki toppings include soft tofu, mushrooms, napa cabbage, green onion, shirataki noodles, and shungiku leaves (also known as chrysanthemums leaves). But here’s the most important thing to know about sukiyaki; you can’t mess it up! In fact, if you split the word ‘sukiyaki’ into its two parts, ‘suki’ and yaki, the word translates to ‘cook over heat’. With this in mind, throw whatever you like into the pot—this is part of the simple joy of making this dish.

Show off your knife skills by cutting little stars or flowers on the shiitake caps! In Japan, this is called ‘hanagiri’. Simply make two V-shape incisions on top of the mushroom cap. Then, turn the mushroom and do the same thing so you make an ‘X’. You can continue to make cuts or stop at the ‘X’. Have fun with it as there is no wrong way of doing things!

When serving sukiyaki, the traditional way to enjoy it is with a bowl of rice (and believe it or not) a raw egg! A small bowl and egg are placed in front of each individual’s seat for everyone to crack, whisk, and dip their meat and vegetables into before eating. Some may find the idea of eating a raw egg to be unappetizing. However, the egg adds a rich, buttery mouth feel as well as helps reduce the temperature of the meat and vegetables so you don’t burn your tongue. With this being said, please be careful when consuming raw eggs. Here in the United States, not all of our eggs are pasteurized or safe to eat. If you would like to try sukiyaki the authentic way, make sure you use pasteurized eggs.

There are two different styles of cooking sukiyaki, the Kanto and Kansai. Both use primarily the same ingredients but there are slight differences in the sauce and method of preparation. Sukiyaki sauce is made up of three main elements including sugar, mirin, and soy sauce. The combination of the three makes for a sweet and savory teriyaki-like sauce that coats the vegetables and meat. The sauce is typically diluted with the addition of water, dashi, or excess water from the vegetables.

Kanto is located in the eastern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan, and includes the city/province of Tokyo. In Kanto, the sukiyaki sauce is called ‘warishita’ and is traditionally poured into the pot, heated, and then ingredients are gradually added one by one and simmered together.

On the other hand, people residing in the Kansai region (the southwestern part of Honshu) like to start off by cooking the beef first, then, adding the sauce ingredients over the top of the meat to help with caramelization. Once the meat is close to done, add the rest of the ingredients, allowing for the excess water to gradually seep out and aid in cooking everything evenly.

Either way you approach it, you’re going to end up with something delicious!

Autumn Sukiyaki

Behold, the Japanese hot pot that is sure to satisfy those comfort food cravings on a brisk fall or winter day. The possibilities are truly endless with this style of cooking, so use what you enjoy and use what you have in the kitchen!

Recipe and Photography by Maya Alderman (IG @Kuishinbo_maya)

Forge to Table Knives

Prep Time: 25min

Cook Time: 20min

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• ⅓ cup soy sauce

• ⅓ cup mirin

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

• Dashi or water, as needed (learn about dashi from our ‘Eggplant Agebitashi’ recipe)

Sukiyaki:

• 1 (300 g) package silken or soft tofu block, sliced into bite-sized pieces

• 1 (8 oz) package shirataki noodles (or rice vermicelli)

• ½ large sweet onion, sliced

• 1 small carrot sliced into rounds

• 1 (7 ounces) bunch enoki mushrooms, separated

• 1 (3-½ ounces) bunch shimeji mushrooms, separated (or enoki mushrooms)

• 5-7 medium shiitake mushrooms

• 8-10 leaves napa cabbage, sliced into thick strips

• 1 pound thinly sliced beef

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (only for Kansai style)

For serving:

• Cooked white rice

• Scallions, chopped

• Pasteurized egg

Directions:

1. PREP INGREDIENTS. Rinse the vegetables off in cool water and pat dry with a paper towel. Using your Forge to Table knife, cut your ingredients in the fashion listed under the sukiyaki ingredients.

2. COOK. You have two styles to choose from!

3. Kanto style- Combine soy sauce, mirin, and sugar into a small saucepot, and stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside. Next, heat a shallow cast iron or clay donabe to medium heat and pour in ¾ of the sukiyaki sauce. When the sauce starts to simmer, add all of your sukiyaki ingredients into separate sections so it’s easier to serve. Place a lid or tin foil over the pot and let everything simmer until the ingredients are cooked through, about 6-10 minutes. If the sauce gets too strong, add dashi stock or water to dilute. If the flavor of the sukiyaki is not strong enough, reduce the liquid by turning up the heat or adding more of the sauce ingredients!

4. Kansai style- Start by heating your pot (ideally a shallow cast iron or clay donabe) to medium heat and sauté the thinly shaved beef. As the beef cooks, add in soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and let the beef caramelize. When the beef is halfway cooked, place the rest of your ingredients into the pot. Make sure you place them into neat sections so it’s easier to serve. Add a splash of dashi (or water) to help aid in cooking and dilute the sauce. Place a lid or aluminum foil over the pot and let everything simmer until the ingredients cook through about 6-10 min. if the sauce gets too strong, add dashi stock or water to dilute. If your sauce is not strong enough, add more sauce!

5. SERVE. Once everything is cooked through, remove it from heat. Fill individual bowls with rice and customize the bowls with a little bit of everything before garnishing with scallions, and (if you’re feeling adventurous…), a raw egg. Enjoy!

Chef Notes:

• If you have leftover ingredients, add them to the pot! Sukiyaki is a fun hotpot meal allowing for multiple rounds!

• If you have difficulty finding any of the ingredients listed above, you should be able to easily find it all at your local Asian market.

• You are in control of the flavor! Add soy sauce if you want it saltier, sugar and mirin if you like it sweeter, water/dashi if you want to dilute, or let the sauce simmer for a bit if you want to concentrate the flavor. Make sure to taste and adjust as you go.