Sukiyaki - Origin, Curiosities, and Recipe

Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is one of the simplest and most popular dishes in Japan. It is made with slices of meat, vegetables, mushrooms, udon and other ingredients you want to add. Sukiyaki is usually cooked in a nabemono, an iron pot used for stews that helps keep the dish warm in winter.

Sukiyaki is especially popular in winter, particularly during year-end parties called Bonenkai. The recipe usually uses thinly sliced beef, but pork is also common, especially in regions such as Hokkaidō and Niigata. The most popular ingredients in sukiyaki are tofu, negi (spring onions), cabbage and shiitake mushrooms.

The way sukiyaki is served in a nabemono is meant to create a shared meal, and it also gives each person the freedom to choose the quantity and ingredients they want in their bowl. Some restaurants even let guests cook the dish themselves at the table.

Origin of Sukiyaki

It is believed that sukiyaki originated in the Meiji Era around 1868, when Japan opened up to foreigners. The dish became more popular as beef and butter spread in use, along with American and European cooking influences at the time.

The name sukiyaki (鋤焼き) comes from the word 鋤 (suki), which means spade or plow, and from the word 焼き (yaki), which refers to grilling or cooking. But why a spade? In the Edo Period (1603-1868), farmers used spades to grill fish and tofu. Another theory is that the name sukiyaki comes from the word 剥き身 (sukimi), which means thin slices of meat.

Sukiyaki Recipe

Almost any vegetable or leafy green can be used when making the recipe. So we recommend not sticking to just one version; feel free to adapt it and cook it the way you like. Today, the recipe is not limited to beef or pork anymore. It is also common to use chicken or even fish.

There are two ways to prepare sukiyaki. The Kansai style, where the meat is cooked first and the other ingredients are added later. And the Kanto style, where all the ingredients are cooked together.

Make it the way you think is best. If you are missing an ingredient or do not want to use a certain one, feel free to adjust the recipe. The amount of each ingredient depends on personal taste and on how you want the dish to turn out.

Ingredients

For the Sukiyaki (meat and vegetables)

• Tender meat, such as filet mignon, sliced;
• 1 package of shirataki/itokonnyaku noodles or udon;
• Tofu cut into cubes;
• Chopped spring onions;
• Sliced cabbage leaves;
• 1 piece of grated ginger;
• 1/2 grated onion;
• Shiitake or champignon mushrooms to taste;
• 5 tablespoons of soy sauce;
• Bell pepper cut into strips;
• Any other vegetable you want, cut into slices or cubes;

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup of soy sauce;
• 1/2 cup of sake;
• 4 tablespoons of vinegar;
• 300 ml of water;
• 2 tablespoons of sugar;
• A little sesame oil;
• 2 tablespoons of butter;

Preparation method

Marinate the meat with the grated onion, ginger and soy sauce, then let it rest for one hour. After that, decide whether you want to cook everything together or cook the meat first and add the ingredients and sauces as you prefer while serving. In Japan, it is also common to add a raw egg to each individual bowl.

I hope you enjoy the recipe! To round out the article, we leave a video below that explains the details and shows step by step how to make sukiyaki.

YouTube video