Enjoy Sukiyaki, a popular Japanese Beef Hot Pot often cooked and served at the table, in the comfort of your own home. Especially satisfying on cooler days.
Going for a hot pot meal is a very popular dining experience in East Asian cuisine. Most are broth based fondues taken leisurely by a small group of people. The spread of dipping ingredients may be as simple or lavish as the budget allows.
All ingredients are carefully arranged on platters laid out at the table with a portable stove and pot. You will also be given various dipping sauces to flavor the food. Each diner gets to cook his or her own desired ingredient. At the end the meal, the rich broth is usually served with noodles to soak up all that tasty goodness.
Sukiyaki is a Japanese Beef Hot Pot consisting of thinly sliced beef simmered in a slightly sweet broth together with mushrooms, shirataki noodles tofu, and vegetables. You can eat it with rice, udon (thick noodles), or a combination of the two.
There are two ways to prepare this tasty meal but both yield more or less the same results. In the Kansai (Osaka and Kyoto) region, the beef is first grilled in the pan. Then the other ingredients are added before the broth is poured over. It is the opposite of the Kantō (Tokyo) region style where most of the ingredients, with the exception of the onions, are added into the broth. The choice is yours but today I am preparing it Kantō style.
Traditionally, suet (beef fat) is melted in a shallow cast iron pan before the other ingredients are added. I used one tablespoon of vegetable oil in place of the beef fat. If you choose to use suet, a small piece weighing about 1 ounce (28 grams) will suffice.
The recipe below was adapted from Emi Kazuko’s Japanese Cooking (affiliate link).
Sukiyaki (Japanese Beef Hot Pot)
Ingredients
- 4 to 8 shitake mushrooms
- 1 package shirataki noodles (7 oz)
- 1 package firm tofu (cubed) (12 oz/340g)
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 4 green onions (cut at a diagonal into 2-inch lengths)
- 1 leek (cut at a diagonal into ¼ inch thick slices)
- 8 oz shungiku / tong ho / garland chrysanthemum, remove stems, wash, and drain (225g)
- 4 large Napa cabbage leaves (sliced)
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef (450g)
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- A few tbsp ponzu and goma dare for dipping
Instructions
- Wash and soak mushrooms in hot water for about 30 minutes until soften. Remove stems, strain, and reserve ½ cup (120ml) soaking liquid.
- In a large non-stick pan, sear tofu, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Par-boil shirataki noodles in a small pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and rinse in cold water. Drain and set aside.
- Arrange mushrooms, shirataki noodles, onion, green onions, leek, garland chrysanthemum , and Napa cabbage on a large platter or 2 separate plates. Beef should be placed on a separate plate.
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a jug.
- If you plan to cook at the table, then transfer everything to the table. You will also need a portable stove and a shallow cast iron pan. Prepare a bowl of rice and an empty bowl for each person. Alternatively, cooking may be done on the stove. Then transfer the entire pan to the table.
- Heat oil in the cast iron pan. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add sugar and pour in half of the warishita sauce. Bring sauce to a gentle boil.
- Add half the mushrooms, shirataki noodles, leek, and Napa cabbage preferably side by side and not mixed. Keep space for green onions, garland chrysanthemum, and beef. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add half the green onions, garland chrysanthemum, and beef. Continue to cook until beef change color, about another 1 to 2 minutes. Dish out into individual bowls and serve immediately.
- Place the rest of the ingredients in the pan while you enjoy the first cooked batch beef and vegetables.
Nutrition
The cooked beef and vegetables are often dipped in a raw egg before eating. This is of course, optional. I prefer not to do that and so I served mine with some shabu-shabu (another beef hot pot) dipping sauces like ponzu and goma-dare (sesame sauce). The beef combines really well with these sauces.
NOTE: This post was updated on September 22nd, 2016 with additional write-up and new pictures. Slight changes were made to the recipe.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Julie M. says
I love hot pots! I have a fondue cookbook loaded with different versions of them. Yours looks perfect! I really need to stop by your house for dinner one of these nights. Every time I visit your blog I leave with my mouth watering and my tummy grumbling!
MissionFood says
Yummy! I've only had a hotpot once, but yours looks great!! I love the combination of flavors 🙂
Stella says
Oh Biren, I want a hot pot! This sounds decadent yet so healthful somehow. It's almost the right weather for this type of meal here too, so I will be sure to try this when I fire up my cauldron (smile)!
rotinrice says
That's right Stella, your cauldron will be perfect for this type of meal 🙂 🙂
5starfoodie says
What a delicious hot pot, I would love to try this specialty!
Anncoo says
Hi Biren, when are you going to open a Japanese restaurant? The hotpot looks very delicious and healthy.
rebecca says
this looks wonderful I adore hot pots will follow I can learn yummy recipes from you Rebecca
rotinrice says
Hey Rebecca, welcome to my blog and thanks for your comment and for following 🙂
Jeannie says
I love hot pots or steam boat as we called it here…fun to gather every one around a pot to enjoy the meal and bonding which is something that doesnt happen very often these days now that the kids are grown:(
lequan@luvtoeat says
Biren! You just made mine and hubby's favorite dinner, but Japanese style – love it! One time we ate it for four days straight cause we bought so much food. Lol. We're having cooler weather here so this meal would be perfect today. I don't do the raw egg thing but hubby does it and everytime he raves about how good it is and that I'm missing out. Wonderful looking dish Biren! You're making me crave hot pot now.
Cheah says
Love this hotpot, one dish meal, wholesome and nutritious and not so oily!
rotinrice says
We love hotpots too and it is a great way to get the family together to have a leisurely meal. It is especially good during the cooler months 🙂
Cook with Madin says
We love hot pots. Yours looks very warming. This will be a great idea, for our cold summer here. I love that you used shabu-shabu sauce, my favorite.
MaryMoh says
Mmmm…I love this….like Chinese hot pot or steamboat. It's very healthy way of eating. Easy preparation, too and great for cold weathers. I need to start cooking this again soon.
Kamalika says
Thanks for sharing the info on hotpot….I never knew about this….looks a lovely spread…
Angie's Recipes says
Love hotpots! I could have finished the whole pot. They are really delicious.
IJust LoveMyApron says
This is a good looking sukiyaki! I love Japanese sukiyaki although sometimes I crave for Thai sukiyaki with more spicy flavor (wink). It's getting cold in Seattle and this can totally warm me up with happiness.
Reeni says
This looks exquisite Biren! I have only had hotpot once before and I remember it fondly, it was such fun and really delicious.
Namitha says
Love hotpots and this looks wonderful
Jay says
delicious looking hotpots….wonderful clicks again…
NasiLemakLover says
Woe, this is a delicious hotpot, and look tempting!
Devaki says
Oh my Biren – Few things come close to hotpot surrounded by family and friends and yours is just marvelous. I can just taste the comfort….sigh…
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
the lacquer spoon says
Ooh, rich beef hotpot and excellent to cook the fried tofu on your own!! You really inspires me to cook sukiyaki soon. Thanks for introducing this Japanese traditional dish 🙂
rotinrice says
You are most welcomed 🙂 We love this dish and I prepare it often especially during the colder months.
Tanvi says
one hot pot dish….it must be a comforting bowl!
🙂
A SPICY PERSPECTIVE says
Oh, I can almost smell it! What a comforting dish!
Patty Price says
Hi Biren, I remember enjoying a Chinese style hot pot at a friend's home. I loved cooking the noodles in the broth towards the end of the meal and slurping down the noodles with the flavorful broth from the hot pot. This recipe sounds delicious, it is a fun and unique dish that doesn't require any fancy equipment to serve at a small dinner party. As I recall everybody loved it! Thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe and have a nice weekend, Patty
Spoon and Chopsticks says
That's a yummy looking hotpot, Biren. I like the ingredients used. Certainly a healthy way of eating.
denise fletcher says
Looks wonderful. This is the kind of meal I would love to get my chopsticks into – though I too would not go for the raw egg dip.
pigpigscorner says
Love hotpots! So yummy and comforting!
Chef Dennis says
so after all these years of hearing that song, I finally see what sukiyaki is!! Thanks for a great recipe, it really looks tasty, and what a great way to cook everything!
sarah says
this is new to me..looks awesome and yummy!!!
Dila says
♥♥ Olá, amiga!
Passei para uma visitinha…
Seu cantinho está muito lindo e criativo, com fotos maravilhosas dos pratos.
As receitas estão muito saborosas e saudáveis…amei!!!♥♥
Boa semana!…
com tudo de bom!!!♥
Beijinhos.
Itabira♥
♥♥♥ Brasil
Cristina says
Biren, this looks so good! Mmm that fried tofu. I can smell it and wish I had a serving waiting for me for lunch!
Bethany says
saw your comment on sommer's blog (a spicy perspective) — i had to check out the noodles you were referring to! 🙂 i did see those in the asian market here, but when we lived in japan (northern), they were definitely different. maybe the taste is the same? anyway – love me some sukiyaki!! fun reading your blog!
rotinrice says
Hi Bethany! So good of you to visit 🙂 Hope you are adjusting well back to life here in the States.
There are two types of this shirataki noodles. The one you see here is white while the other is kind of brown. Perhaps you are referring to the brown ones?