What is sukiyaki?
Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish in which meat and other ingredients are cooked by grilling and boiling them in a shallow iron pot.
This unique hot pot dish invented in Japan uses beef as the main ingredient and has balanced sweet and spicy flavors of sugar and soy sauce.
Sukiyaki is typically served with thinly sliced beef and cooked with ingredients such as leeks, Chinese cabbage, shungiku (garland chrysanthemum), shiitake mushrooms, grilled tofu, konnyaku (konjac), shirataki, and fu (dry-baked wheat gluten).
It is often dipped with beaten raw egg before eating.
There are different cooking methods used in the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan.
Some theories suggest that sukiyaki originated several hundred years ago in Japan when a farm tool called suki (plow) was used to grill fish, tofu, vegetables, and other ingredients.
The use of beef began about 150 years ago, gaining more popularity about 100 years ago.
In 1961, the Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto recorded the song "Ue o muite aruko," which became a hit in the U.S. under the title "Sukiyaki," helping to bring international recognition to the dish.
Varieties of sukiyaki
Ingredients for sukiyaki vary slightly from region to region.
The following details some common ingredients.
Meat
Generally, thin slices of beef such as rib roast, sirloin, and shoulder loin are used.
Cooking time is short, and the meat is cooked just tender enough to absorb flavors well.
In Japan, beef with high marbling and fine fat, such as Wagyu and brand beef (Kobe beef, Matsusaka beef, Omi beef, etc.), is preferred.
Vegetables
The vegetables used in sukiyaki typically include Chinese cabbage, shungiku (garland chrysanthemum), leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms.
Thinly sliced carrots may also be added for color.
Tofu and others
Fried tofu or shirataki mushrooms are also used.
Udon noodles are often added to the pot at the end of the meal.
Raw egg
Raw eggs are used as a sauce for braised meat, vegetables, and other ingredients.
Stir the raw egg well and dip the ingredients before eating for a mellow and enriched overall flavor.
How to make sukiyaki
Sukiyaki is a dish that demonstrates the chef's skills.
First, the meat is carefully chosen and sliced to the appropriate thickness.
The cut of the meat and the thickness of the slice can greatly affect the flavor and texture.
The other ingredients are also cut and arranged beautifully on a plate.
Then, a special sauce called warishita is prepared.
The sauce is made with sugar, soy sauce, mirin (sweet rice wine), sake, and other ingredients unique to the restaurant's original recipe.
At many high-end sukiyaki restaurants, the ingredients, warishita, and the iron pot are brought to your table, and the staff will cook right in front of you.
The cooking method after the previous step varies depending on whether you are in the Kanto or Kansai region.
In Kanto, the sauce is added to the pot first, and once it boils, the meat and other ingredients are added.
The ingredients are cooked evenly while being braised in the sauce.
In Kansai, beef tallow is added to the pot, and the meat is grilled first.
The fat from the meat is used to braise the other ingredients.
Then, seasonings are added for further braising.
The meat should be cooked for a short time to lock in the flavor.
It is important not to overcook it as this will make it tough.
It is also important to add the ingredients at varying times depending on their type, and to adjust the cooking time as needed to avoid overcooking.
How to eat sukiyaki
Beat the eggs
Before eating, crack a raw egg into a small bowl and stir well.
If you do not like raw eggs, you can skip this step.
Serve
Place the cooked ingredients in your bowl using chopsticks or a ladle.
Mix with egg
Dip the served ingredients into the raw egg and eat.
The egg adds a mild flavor and harmonizes the salty-sweet taste of sukiyaki.
Add udon noodles into the pot
If udon noodles are available, add them to the pot after most of the meat and vegetables are finished (so that there is a little left over).
Cook until soft.
When the udon noodles are ready, place them in your bowl and eat.
People’s reaction when eating
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