Sukiyaki-Style Simmered Beef (牛すき煮, Gyū Sukini)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow sukiyaki pan, donabe, or heavy skillet
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment with a small center hole
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth
• •Long cooking chopsticks (saibashi), or tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. That pale bloom on the surface is flavor, not dirt. Put the konbu in the cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat until the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides, about 10 minutes. Lift the konbu out before the water boils, because boiling pulls bitterness and a slick texture from the kelp. Bring the water just to a gentle boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for 2 minutes. Strain through a cloth or fine-mesh strainer and let it drip without pressing. Squeezing the flakes clouds the stock and pushes strong, oily flavors into the clean dashi you just made.

   You need 1 1/2 cups dashi for the pan. If you have a little extra, keep it for loosening the broth at the end.
2. 2

   Clean the shirataki

   Rinse the shirataki well, then boil it in plain water for 2 minutes. Drain and cut the strands into shorter lengths. This isn't busywork. Shirataki carries a faint konnyaku smell from its packing liquid, and a short boil clears it so the broth tastes of beef, dashi, and shōyu, not the packet it came in.

3. 3

   Mix the warishita

   Combine 1 1/2 cups dashi, sake, shōyu, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Warm just until the sugar dissolves, then taste. This is warishita, the sukiyaki seasoning broth. It should taste a little too strong to drink, sweet first, then salty, because the tofu, shirataki, and vegetables will soften it as they cook.

   If it tastes harsh, add a spoonful or two of dashi. If it tastes flat, add a small pinch of sugar or a few drops of shōyu. Correct the broth now, before it becomes the dish.
4. 4

   Arrange the pan

   Set a wide shallow sukiyaki pan, donabe, or heavy skillet over medium heat and melt the beef fat or warm the oil. Add the negi or scallions and let the cut sides color lightly. That small browning gives the dish the sukiyaki aroma without asking the beef to sit in the pan too long. Add the tofu, shirataki, shiitake, and hakusai in separate clusters, keeping the shirataki away from where the beef will go.

5. 5

   Simmer the vegetables

   Pour in the warishita and bring it to a steady, gentle simmer. Lay a wooden drop-lid, or otoshibuta, over the surface, or use a circle of parchment with a small hole in the center. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the hakusai softens, the tofu edges turn tan, and the mushrooms look glossy. The drop-lid keeps everything bathed in seasoning without stirring, and stirring is how neat pieces become a muddle.

6. 6

   Add the beef

   Lower the heat so the broth moves quietly. Lay the beef into the pan in loose ribbons, one slice at a time, and turn each piece as soon as the underside changes color. Add the shungiku, if using, during the last minute. Stop when the beef has just lost its raw red, usually 60 to 90 seconds. This is the detail that decides the dish: sukiyaki-cut beef is already tender because it is sliced thin, and a long simmer only tightens it.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Take the pan off the heat and let it stand for 2 minutes so the tofu and shirataki drink a little more broth while the beef relaxes. Serve in shallow bowls with hot short-grain rice. If you want the old sukiyaki habit, dip each bite in beaten pasteurized egg, but keep that optional and sensible. For children, pregnant people, older adults, or anyone immunocompromised, serve it without raw egg. The broth has enough gloss and depth to stand on its own.

Chef Tips

• •Buy beef already sliced for sukiyaki if you can. Ask for slices about 2 to 3mm thick with fine, even marbling. Lean stew meat is the wrong animal for this work, and no sweet broth will make it tender.
• •If you must slice the beef yourself, freeze it until firm but not hard, about 45 minutes, then cut across the grain with your sharpest knife. Thinness is not decoration here. It is the cooking method.
• •Parboil the shirataki and keep it in its own corner of the pan. The old warning says shirataki toughens beef; the more dependable lesson is simpler: clean the noodles, keep the slices loose, and don't let the beef overcook.
• •Use yaki-dōfu if you find it. Its grilled surface holds together and drinks the broth neatly. Firm tofu works as a sensible stand-in if you pat it dry first.
• •Raw egg is traditional with sukiyaki, but tradition also has to meet the person at the table. Use pasteurized eggs if you serve it that way, and skip them when safety asks you to.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Reheat it gently before mixing the warishita.
• •The warishita can be mixed 3 days ahead. Keep it refrigerated, then warm it just enough to dissolve any settled sugar before cooking.
• •Shirataki can be rinsed, parboiled, drained, and cut a day ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator.
• •Cook the beef just before serving. This dish can rest for a few minutes, but it should not sit for an hour with the beef already in the broth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 620g)