Sukiyaki Hot Pot

Bring the warmth of traditional Japanese communal cooking into your home with this comforting Sukiyaki Hot Pot recipe. Sukiyaki features thinly sliced meat and fresh vegetables simmered in a sweet soy-based broth. It’s just as delicious with meat or as a vegetarian version. This versatile, heartwarming dish is perfect for sharing on cold winter nights — best enjoyed cooked right at the table on a portable stove.

Ingredients:
• 250 ml sukiyaki sauce
• 100 g shirataki noodles
• 1 block tofu
• 320 g Japanese rice
• 300 g thinly sliced sukiyaki beef
• 1 pack enoki mushrooms
• 6 rehydrated shiitake mushrooms
• 1 spring onion
• ½ Chinese cabbage (hakusai)
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

1. Cut all ingredients into small, bite-sized pieces.

2. Heat a large skillet or shallow pot and lightly grease the bottom with beef fat or vegetable oil.

3. Add the thin slices of beef (or pork) and gently sauté until almost cooked through.

4. Pour in the sukiyaki sauce and let it heat until it begins to simmer.

5. Add the remaining ingredients — tofu, vegetables, mushrooms, and shirataki noodles — and simmer gently for a few minutes until everything is cooked and infused with flavor.

6. Traditionally, cooked sukiyaki is dipped into fresh raw egg before eating. If you prefer not to use raw egg, serve it with boiled eggs on the side.

Serve hot over a bowl of freshly steamed white rice for an authentic experience.

Tips & Notes:

• If you don’t have ready-made sukiyaki sauce, you can make your own by mixing 100 ml soy sauce, 100 ml sake, and 50 g sugar.

• For an extra layer of umami, try combining 60 ml koji shoyu (fermented soy sauce with koji), 50 g sugar, and 250 ml water. Koji is a unique edible mold grown on rice — its enzymes tenderize food while adding rich umami flavor.

• You can customize the dish with other vegetables and mushrooms such as shimeji, carrots, or leeks — they all work beautifully.

• Add udon noodles at the end of cooking for a hearty finish — they soak up the flavorful broth perfectly.