Cozy up at your get-together with friends and family with this homemade Japanese sukiyaki recipe, served with seared marbled beef and a variety of vegetables cooked in a soy sauce broth.
Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a popular Japanese hot pot dish which is often cooked and served at the table, similar to Shabu Shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ).
Watch How To Make Sukiyaki
Savory hot pot with seared marbled beef and a variety of vegetables cooked in a soy sauce broth.
What’s Sukiyaki?
If you are familiar with the Japanese hot pot dish, you have probably heard of Shabu Shabu. With Shabu Shabu, you cook thinly sliced beef and pork in a clear kombu-based broth. The flavor is subtle and you dip the food in a ponzu or sesame based sauce.
Sukiyaki is completely different; the food is cooked in a sweet and salty soy sauce-based broth and full of bold flavors straight from the pot.
Besides the broth, the pot used to cook sukiyaki is also quite different from Shabu Shabu. Traditionally it is cooked in a cast-iron pot while Shabu Shabu is cooked in a Japanese clay pot called donabe (土鍋), and the thinly sliced beef (but slightly thicker than Shabu Shabu meat) are seared first in the pot before adding ingredients and broth.
Despite having a different flavor and cooking pot, most Sukiyaki ingredients are similar to Shabu Shabu, such as leafy vegetables, tofu, shiitake mushroom, and so on.
Kansai Style vs. Kanto Style
As my mom’s side of the family is from Osaka (Kansai) and my dad’s side is from Tokyo (Kanto), my sukiyaki recipe is the combination of both Kansai style and Kanto style.
In Kansai (Osaka) area, we sear the meat and season with sugar, soy sauce, and sake. Then we enjoy some of the meat first before the rest of the ingredients are added to the pot. However in the Kanto (Tokyo) area, we make Sukiyaki Sauce (Warishita, 割り下) first, and all the ingredients are cooked at the same time in the Sukiyaki Sauce.
Sukiyaki Beef
For the sliced beef, if you shop at Japanese grocery stores, look in the meat section. There is usually pre-sliced beef, and they are specifically labeled as beef for Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki.
The Japanese like to splurge and enjoy really good quality meat for both Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu. Wagyu (beef from cows raised in Japan) is very expensive ($40/lb), so typically each person only enjoys about 120-150 grams of sliced meat.
When you shop for the meat, find a well-marbled piece of meat so that fat of the meat becomes tender when you eat. Otherwise, it’ll very chewy after being cooked.
If you can’t find pre-sliced beef, you can try slicing the beef chunk at your home. Follow my directions and tricks on How To Slice Meat.
Substitutions of ingredients for Sukiyaki
Some of the ingredients we put in Sukiyaki (or Shabu Shabu) like napa cabbage and shungiku may not be easy to find in where you live. If so, use available mushrooms and leafy vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, and bok choy.
You can substitute Leeks and scallions/green onions for Tokyo Negi. Instead of shirataki noodles (yam noodles), you can use vermicelli.
Cooking at Dining Table
Sukiyaki is usually cooked over a portable stove at the dining table and each person uses their own chopsticks to pick up the ingredients from the pot and add more ingredients as the food disappears from the pot.
It’s a fun dinner for family and friends’ get-together, and not to mention, all you have to do is to chop ingredients before dinner time!
How to Eat Sukiyaki the “Authentic” Way
I am a bit hesitant and actually slightly reluctant to talk about the “authentic” way the Japanese enjoy Sukiyaki as some of you may not find it appetizing. However, I do want to let you know in case you end up enjoying this dish in Japan and you won’t get caught off guard.
So, in Japan, a lot of people dip the cooked ingredients in raw egg. I know, I can almost hear “eww” from some of my readers but that’s the fact. I actually recommend you try if you are in Japan where eggs are sometimes safe to consume raw. The sweetness from raw egg coats well with salty vegetables and meat and it balances out the flavors very well.
Here in the U.S., raw eggs are not safe to eat, so purchase pasteurized eggs (they are actually hard to find) or you can pasteurize your eggs at home using sous-vide method.
I hope you enjoy making my Sukiyaki recipe!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Cozy up at your get-together with friends and family with this homemade Japanese sukiyaki recipe, served with seared marbled beef and a variety of vegetables cooked in a soy sauce broth.
- 1-2 packages udon noodles (Typically added to the soup at the end of the meal)
- ½ head napa cabbage (about 10 leaves or 1.8 oz or 690 g)
- ½ bunch shungiku (Tong Ho/Garland Chrysanthemum) (7 oz or 200 g)
- 1 Negi (long green onion) (leek or 3 green onions)
- 1 package enoki mushrooms
- 8 shiitake mushrooms (carve decorative shapes)
- 1 package Yaki Tofu (Broiled Tofu) (9 oz or 255 g)
- ⅓ carrot (for decoration, optional)
- 1 package shirataki noodles (or cellophane noodles, yam noodles; 1 bag = 7 oz or 198 g)
- 1 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef (chuck or rib eye) (454 g; or slice your own meat, see Notes)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1-1.5 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more) (to dilute the sauce) (or water)
-
Gather all the ingredients.
-
Combine 1 cup sake, 1 cup mirin, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 cup soy sauce in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and set aside. This Sukiyaki sauce can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- If your udon is frozen, cook it in boiling water until loosen. Remove from heat and soak in iced water to prevent overcooking them. Drain and transfer to a plate.
- Prepare sukiyaki ingredients. Cut napa cabbage into 2” (5 cm) wide then cut in half right at the middle of the white part.
- Cut shungiku into 2” (5 cm) wide, and slice Tokyo negi. Discard the bottom part of enoki and tear into smaller bundles.
- Discard the shiitake stem and decorate the top of shiitake if you like.
- Cut tofu into smaller pieces (I usually cut into 6-8 pieces).
- If you like, you can slice some carrots and then stamp them into a floral shape for decoration.
- Drain and rinse the shirataki noodles (sorry no photo). Put all the ingredients on one big platter for the table or into smaller individual servings.
- Set a portable gas cook top at the dining table and heat a cast iron sukiyaki pot (or any pot) on medium heat. When it’s hot, add 1 Tbsp. cooking oil.
- Place some of sliced beef to sear and sprinkle 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Flip and cook the meat. You can pour a little bit of Sukiyaki Sauce over the meat and enjoy the sweet and nicely caramelized meat now, or continue to next step and eat it later.
- Pour 1 ⅓ cup of Sukiyaki Sauce and 1 cup dashi (or water) in the pot, or until ⅔ of the ingredients are submerged in the sauce.
- Place some of the ingredients in the pot (except for udon). Put the lid on and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat and simmer until the ingredients are cooked through.
- Once the food is cooked, you can start enjoying them. Keep adding more ingredients and sauce as you eat from the pot. If the sauce is too salty, add dashi to dilute. If the vegetables diluted the sauce too much, then add more sukiyaki sauce.
- We usually end the sukiyaki meal with udon. When most of the ingredients have disappeared, add udon to the pot. Cook until heated through and enjoy.
How to slice your own meat: click here.
How to Enjoy Sukiyaki in Japan: As I mentioned in the post above, we prepare beaten fresh egg (raw) in an individual small bowl and dip the cooked sukiyaki ingredients and meat in the raw egg and eat. The salty and savory sukiyaki will taste mild after dipping the egg, and the egg also adds a slightly sweet taste that’s indescribable. Here in the US, raw eggs are not recommended for consumption. Please skip unless you’re certain the egg in your area is safe to consume raw.
Cooking Pot: You can cook Sukiyaki in a large pan or a cast iron Sukiyaki pan (here’s one and another one with a lid on Amazon).
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Just One Cookbook is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post may contain affiliate sales links, please see privacy policy for details.
Thank you for providing such an informative and well organized food blog. My Chipanese daughter (chinese/japanese) loves your recipes and so do I!
Hi Nancy! You are welcome and thank you for following my blog! I love to be organized but life with two children gets so hectic and I can’t be as organized as I wish to be… But I’ll do my best. I didn’t know Chinese and Japanese children are called Chipanese. My kid are Chipanese then. =)
Hi Nami,
The Sukiyaki recipe is excellent and very easy to make!
Do you have other “stew like ” japanese recipes perhaps?
Looking forward,
best regards,
Rolf
Hi Rolf! Thank you! So far I only few dishes and you can find it here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipe-index/nabe-hot-pot/
Hope to add more in the future. Thank you again for your feedback! 🙂
I made this for a dinner for 6 adults and our 4 kids this week. We (the adults) lingered long over the meal, cooking, eating, chatting. Everyone was impressed I had made this from scratch (including the dashi) and said it was a most memorable meal. Thank you for sharing, Nami, so that we may share in turn!
Hi Angie! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoy this meal. Nabe (hot pot) is perfect for get-together. We often serve this or Shabu Shabu as party meal too since I prepare less and everyone cooks. 😀
I’m so happy to hear you and your guests enjoy this meal. Thank you for letting me know! 🙂
This sounds so good and I want to make it. I am new to cooking so can you suggest the cut of meat i should buy?
Hi Jennifer! In a Japanese grocery store, look for a packaged sliced beef that’s prepared for Sukiyaki. It’s a little bit thicker slice compared to Shabu Shabu (another hot pot dish). Korean or Chinese stores usually carry some thinly cut meat as well. Hope that helps. 🙂
Sukiyaki is another Japanese favorite of mine and I have wonderful memories of going with friends to the Sukiyaki restaurant. A platter of raw beef and veggies is brought to the table and one serves oneself buy picking up a veg or beef slice with hashi (chopsticks) and dipping it into boiling oil or water. If you cannot find kobe, it is available in the U.S., use a quality Angus steak. I like the dipping sauce posted here and we used to dip our cooked slices in the sauce and then a raw egg beaten with hashi in a small rice bowl. The raw egg really makes all the difference and I recommend it if health issues are not a concern. This is so delicious that I wish I could fix it at home only hubby won’t allow a tabletop stove in our dining room. These stoves are small and useful and generally not expensive.
Oh yes, I love dipping in the raw egg too! So delicious! This reminds me – while I’m in Japan I should enjoy raw eggs for sukiyaki (I normally avoid eating raw eggs in the US).
Which brand of mirin, soyasauce, and sake did you use for this recipe ?! There’s many many brands and different kinds, I would like it as authentic as possible!
Hi Angie! You see all the brands I use in this pantry list:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/categories/pantry/
I make this sukiyaki sauce all the time. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I tried this tonight. It came out great and look forward to eating leftovers tomorrow by adding more broiled tofu and yam noodles.
Thank you!
Hi Mira! Thank you for trying this recipe! I hope you enjoy the leftover. I love having sukiyaki leftover as the flavor is a bit stronger and goes well with rice. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
nice where can i get some tofu
Hi Derick! You can find regular tofu at any Asian grocery stores. For Yaki Tofu (grilled tofu), you probably need to go to a Japanese supermarket. Hope that helps. 🙂
I love sukiyaki but have a very hard time finding shungiku which is one of my favorite greens in this reciipe. live in Virginia is there any specialty grocers that we can order from? Thank you for a reply.
Hi Nancy! Chinese grocery stores carry Chinese version of shungiku (it’s called Tong Ho). The leaves and stems are a bit wider, but it tastes very similar. I think that may be easier to find as Chinese grocery stores are easier to find than Japanese supermarkets. Hope this helps!
I bought this gaz burner stove top not long ago, and today i saw this really cheap sukiyaki cast iron pot so i had to buy it and make sukiyaki. IT WAS AWESOME! My boyfriend ate all his veggies, i didnt even get any shungiku haha. Its so easy, not a lot of preparations, except the meat everything is ridiculously cheap… Definetely gonna be something im gonna make often with winter coming. And i know the ratio for the sauce by heart already! THANK YOU!
Hi Sunny! Thank you so much for your feedback! Isn’t Sukiyaki so easy to prepare? All you need to do is to chop veggies and let everyone cook for themselves. 😉 Try Shabu Shabu if you haven’t tried it yet. It’s another hot pot dish that’s even easier to make… 🙂
http://statigr.am/p/579650834979130693_641213106
Heres a proof i made it!
AWESOME! Thank you for posting the picture! 😀
Hi Nami! By far this is one of the best food i’ve ever tasted and cooked. I really appreciate sharing the recipe and cooking techniques. By the way, can I use other noodles?
Hi Kristoffer! Aww so happy to hear you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for following my blog! Are you talking about udon at the end? Usually it’s udon… it has good texture and doesn’t absorb too much liquid (because sauce can be salty). Shirataki noodles and vermicelli are good option too (although I inclulded in ingredients which you usually eat during the meal, while udon is eaten at the very end of meal).
Hi Nami, yes I’ve been following or reading your blog since 2011 I guess. I really enjoy reading and at the same time trying your recipes. It gives me a new fresh breath of air, that i can cook foods without really going to culinary school. I already tried atleast 40% of all of your recipes and the feedback that i get from my friends and relatives are amazing!!! I’m filipino but japanese foods are worth trying and dying for!!!! 🙂 . More recipes?haha 🙂
Hi Kristoffer! 2011! That’s my year 1, and wow thank you for being on this journey with me for a long time! I’m really happy that your family and friends enjoy the recipes too. We have similar tastebuds. 😉 I look forward to sharing more recipes and hope you enjoy them. Thank you so much for being a loyal reader. xo 🙂
Hi Nami and thanks for all the great recipes. I’ve only just started following your blog but boy am I hooked! I just want to know, can I use any kind of cast iron pot? I don’t have a special sukiyaki pot but I own a Staub (similar to Le Creuset ) oval cast iron casserole that might work, what do you think ? Thanks in advance, I look forward to having my friends over for a wonderlicious Sukiyaki party!
Hi Lizzy! Welcome to my blog, and I’m glad you found my site. 🙂 Don’t worry about the pot. Traditionally we use this cast iron pot but any pot is okay. It’s nice to sear the meat before adding sauce, so we use this type of pot but your Staub is great! Enjoy your sukiyaki party with your friends! 🙂
I love this dish so yummy. Thanks for sharing. I do have one question, what portion/part of beef meat works best for this dish?
Hi Julie! You’re very welcome! I hope you enjoy this recipe! It’s really up to your preference. My husband would love to eat 60-70% meat than veggies, while I enjoy just a few slices of GOOD (and fatty well-marbled) meat. I rather want to eat good quality meat for shabu shabu and sukiyiaki, so I don’t buy a lot. I eat maybe 4-5 slices? My husband can eat way more… So it’s hard to say. If you are going to have a party, buy extra just in case. You can freeze the meat if you don’t use it (make sure to keep it in the fridge and don’t plate all of the meat to serve).
With leftover meat, you can make dishes like this:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/soy-glazed-vegetable-beef-rolls/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/baby-carrot-beef-rolls/
Or any stir fry dishes. 🙂 Hope this helps. Sorry I can’t quite give you good answer regarding the portion…
I made this last night and my Korean American husband and I loved it! My mom made sukiyaki when I was younger but never made it myself. I was very pleased to find out that it’s very simple and quick to make! I’m sure I will be making this more often, especially with the cold weather.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Marie! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! Shabu shabu and Sukiyaki are both very easy to make and it’s a perfect comforting dish in winter. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami,
I live in NJ and decided to make this- I’m lucky to live about an hour away from Mitsuwa in Edgewater, so I was able to get all of the ingredients and cook Sukiyaki tonight. It was apparently hands down one of the best things I’ve ever made according to everyone who ate it- thanks so much for a fabulous recipe ^_^
Also, I love your site in general and have made quite a few recipes from here already. Looking forward to making more of them in the future! Thanks again for all you do, I feel so happy to be able to learn how to cook Japanese food thanks to your clear instructions and great recipes. Take care!
Hi Sharon! I’m so glad to hear you and everyone enjoyed the sukiyaki recipe! Thank you so much for taking your time to write a very kind feedback. I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. THANK YOU!! 🙂
Hi Nami! Can this be cooked in a regular pot?
I don’t have the traditional pot.
Hi Vanessa! Yes you can. I recommend using a heavy bottom pot or something that keeps the heat very well (so that food doesn’t cool down quickly even when you turn off the heat). 🙂 Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
I *love* Sukiyaki and am so glad you shared this recipe! I’ve never had shabu-shabu but it looks almost identical… I’ve always had sukiyaki with kamaboko it. While maybe not the healthiest, I love the added seafood flavor.
Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I love this recipe and I love your website! I hope you enjoyed Pismo Beach! I just moved from that area to the North Bay Area and I miss it terribly! Thank you again!
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for reading this post! Yeah ingredients are pretty similar so I can do sukiyaki one night and shabu shabu next day… LOL. I put chikuwa in Sukiyaki when I have it too and kids love it! 🙂
Thanks so much for following my blog! We’ll have fun in Pismo Beach! The weather is supposed to be nice too. I’ll take some pictures and share on Instagram. 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment!
Sukiyaki is one of my favorite dishes. Definitely an indulgence when getting the high quality beef. I really miss it. I’ll give the recipe a try if i can get my hands on a cast iron pot
Hi Kit! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Hope you enjoy(ed) it! 🙂
We love sukiyaki and often will order at a Japanese restaurant. But we never tried making our own since we assumed it was very difficult. Thanks to your blog, we (my husband, son, and I) had a very enjoyable meal that we cooked ourselves. It was delicious and we are looking forward to having it again! Very soon.
Hi Lisa! Awww! I’m so happy to hear that! Shabu shabu and Sukiyaki are both easy to prepare (you just need to chop veggies…) and something that we don’t need much of cooking skills. I’m glad you tried it at home! It’s convenient to eat outside, but when you cook it at home, you can control the amount and quality of ingredients and the taste of the sauce, so I think it’s much better experience, not to mention, economical for family! Thank you for your kind feedback, Lisa!
Hi Winfred! I’m so happy to hear you remembered this dish and thank you for your kind message and support! 🙂
I enjoyed Tokyo in the early 60’s and tried many dishes there. The raw egg brought back memories. It’s like raw oysters, once the first one is down, it’s easy.
Hi Jim! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed Japanese food when you visited! 🙂
My mom adores sukiyaki and the only restaurant in our city that has it shut down a decade ago. I think I will use your recipe to surprise her this year. Thank you!
Hi Madeline! I hope your mom will enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Hello! I have been looking for a reliable Sukiyaki recipe for a while, but so far, I haven’t managed such a task. However, I’m hoping that will be different with this recipe! My only problem is, I don’t have access to Mirin where I am from, as they don’t sell it where I am and we don’t have a Japanese or Asian market near here. Is there something I can substitute Mirin with in this recipe? Please do let me know, because most everything else I already know what I can substitute if I can’t find, or I can just leave off all together if I don’t want it. 🙂 Thank you!
(also, just another quick question, but do you by any chance have a Kinoko Zosui recipe I could try out? Been looking for one of those as well with no luck. Thanks!)
Hi Macie! I hope you will enjoy this sukiyaki recipe. The key is the balance between the sukiyaki sauce and good dashi. I don’t provide the ratio, but you have to figure out how much sukiyaki sauce and dashi needed to be added in the sukiyaki pot. It all depends on the amount of ingredients you put.
Mirin is quite important ingredient to make authentic flavor, but if you can’t find it, for 1 Tbsp. mirin, mix 1 Tbsp sake + 1 tsp. sugar. It should help. 🙂
I put down Kinoko Zosui recipe on my list. Thank you for your request! 🙂
you can not beat a good sukiyaki! i have eaten this dish so many times and i also recommend dipping it in raw egg it just completes the dish. thank you for this recipe I’ve only ever eaten sukiyaki in restaurants here in Australia and now im looking forward to making my own to see how much better it will taste.
Hi Jason! I totally agree with you – the salty soy sauce flavor goes well with mild and sweet eggs. The texture is nice too… Does the restaurant in Australia offer raw eggs too? Here they don’t really have sukiyaki on the menu (and big no no for raw eggs). It’s such a delicious treat! 🙂
Yes I’m lucky to be able to eat it sukiyaki with the raw egg here in Adelaide Australia. I’ve only ever had Kanto style so I’m going to give your recipe ago and can not wait. I’m heading to japan next year and I’m going to visit Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto so I’m really looking forward to trying some very traditional dishes
It’s nice that you can use raw eggs and sukiyaki is SO good with dipping in raw eggs. Have a wonderful trip to Japan next year! 😀
I just wanted to thank you so much for this recipe. I admit to having a very high interest in Japanese culture because I watch anime growing up. And this was a dish I saw them eat all the time. Now that I’m older my tastes have progressed to just being very interested in Japanese culture. It is just different then anything I have known. But I’m finding really hard to do in GA . I don’t know if there’s an extensive Japanese community here and I have no idea where to start. I have wanted to take some Japanese cooking classes for a long time. This recipe and how amazing it turned out has given me the courage to really look for a class. Thank you very much! Also if you know of a big Japanese community and to please let me know . Ps- The video made a world of difference. And you giving some background /history to the dish helped so much. When I went to the store I didn’t seem like a complete moron LOL.
Hi Rita! I’m not sure where in GA you live, but I found a Japanese supermarket here.
http://www.tomatostoreus.com/
If there are Japanese companies, usually there are expat’s wife community and they tend to have a small community. I wish I know!
I’m so glad to hear you tried this recipe! Thank you for writing!!
Hi Nami. I followed your recipe for a large crowd over for dinner but made too much of the sukiyaki sauce. Is there anything else I can make with the excess sauce (apart from more sukiyaki!)? Btw everyone loved the sukiyaki ????
HI Yin! So sorry for my late response. Do you still have the sukiyaki sauce? If so… try Sukiyaki Donburi (similar to sukiyaki, but more like one dish rice bowl meal), or Gyudon (beef donburi), chicken katsu donburi… We use similar seasoning, so these works great. Especially you already have sauce. You stir fry and pour the sauce and place it on a bowl of rice. 🙂 Hope this helps. Sorry, I wish I could respond sooner…
Thanks Nami. I kept the sauce in the fridge. Will be putting it to some good use making donburi like you suggest ????
Can i replace sake and mirin?? If can, with what i should replace it??
Hi Nadiah! As you see, sake and mirin consists of 2/3 of the sukiyaki sauce, and by replacing it, the result is going to be very different. But if you can’t take both of them for religious reason, then you just have to replace with water for sake and water + sugar for mirin… Otherwise, I highly recommend you to find these ingredients because they are essential in Japanese cooking. 🙂 For 1 cup mirin, mix 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation????????
This recipe was very delicious. It tasted very authentic. Due to sugar concerns, I might cut down on the sugar next time. The dish is very tasty, but a bit sweet. The mirin adds sweetness as well.
An egg dip definitely balances the strong flavor of the sukiyaki sauce.
Hi Phil! The sukiyaki sauce is pretty sweet, instead of just salty, and maybe that’s why kids love sukiyaki. 🙂 Also, make sure to dilute with dashi as you cook. If it’s too much, it’s possible you didn’t dilute enough. And yes, the egg makes it more mild and balance out the flavors for sure!
HI!
I live in sweden and it is hard to find dashi and im planning to make sukiyaki and in your recipe it says dashi… is there any substitution for dashi or is okay to omit that in the recipe.
I would appreciate if you could reply.
Thanks!!
//Sylvie
Hi Sylvie! Dashi is so unique that vegetable/chicken/ or any broth won’t be a good replacement. Asian store should have dashi powder at least or online stores… I really can’t give you good substitute for dashi. You can simply use water but missing whole umami flavor. I’m sorry for my late response.
Hi Nami, could you please providing for shabu broth recipe like Tom Yum broth and else…. (i forgot the name, but one of japanese provide 4 broth and one of them is sukiyaki broth on the above)
Hi Kenken! Tom Yum Goong is Thai soup, and I’m a little bit confused by your “4 broth”… We have more hot pot dishes than just 4 kinds…
I put all the hot pot recipes here on my blog (and plan to add more kinds in the future):
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipe-index/type-of-dish/hot-pot-nabe/
Hi Nami, sorry to make you confused. Herewith a dashi soup they provide to me :
– Original Konbu Soup (already have this recipe from you)
– Mix Miso Soup
– Soy milk miso soup
– Chicken collagen soup
i have try a mix miso soup , it’s sweet and hot a the same time, so i’m very curious with the ingredients
Nami, could you please make some experiment to made a mix miso soup with your style and inform to me. Thanks in advance.
Hi Kenken!
Miso soup recipe is here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/basic-tofu-miso-soup/
Mix miso soup… what do you mean by “mixed”? Miso soup is not sweet and hot. Maybe you miso soup is more like fusion? Hope that helps. 🙂
sukiyaki is my favorite food since I’m half Japanese. my wife, who’s American tried to make it. it was good except the noodles were like rubber. what did she do wrong?
Hi Chris! What types of noodles did you use? Are you taking about Shirataki noodles (yam noodles) or Udon noodles that you put at the end?
Since you mentioned “rubbery” texture, I think you’re talking about shirataki noodles. Have you had Konnyaku (konjac) before? Shirataki noodles are similar texture. I think you can say it’s rubbery texture but that’s how it is, even without cooking. 🙂
In the US you can boil the egg for 1- 1:30 to get rid of any harmful contaminants
Yeah, we can’t do the same thing with American eggs, unfortunately, not fresh enough. 🙂
I substituted 1/2 cup of shoyu with 1/2 cup of hondashi soba tsuyu as I ran out of shoyu, and diluted the sauce a little with water. It was delicious and I have made this twice within the past month using various vegetables. Without the Katsuodashi (bonito flakes) and meat, you can make a delicious and healthy vegan/vegetarian sukiyaki anyone would love. Thank you Nami-san! oishikatta desu.
Hi Seira! Yokatta! Arigato for your kind feedback. You’re right – this recipe can be easily converted to vegetarian/vegan without using katsuobushi and beef. Thank you for pointing that out for my vegetarian/vegan readers! 🙂
This looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Anna! 🙂
Thank you so much for your recipe! My husband and I cooked this dish tonight and it was delicious!! 🙂
Hi Claudia! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi, Nami.
I’m Jessica from the U.S. I was wondering, and this may be a very stupid question, but is the yaki tofu literally just broiled tofu? I have very few options in my area of rural Missouri, so I was wondering if I could just broil extra firm tofu in my oven? I’m afraid throwing just regular, uncooked tofu will throw off the consistency of the meal.
Also, are there sides that frequently go with this, or drinks? I’m considering throwing a small sukiyaki party if this goes well when I make it tonight. 🙂 For now, I’m making it sans-tofu. Hopefully, it will turn out just fine! I also had to substitute sweet sherry and water for the sake and mirin, because nowhere around here sells either one unless I feel like driving an hour and a half to spend $30 on sake. v.v
Anyway, thanks for all the great recipes! For health reasons, my husband was recommended the Traditional Asian Diet by our doctor, so your blog has been an excellent resource for us, as our entire family (including two toddlers) is now following said diet. Again, thank you so much!
Hi Jessica! You’re right. Yaki Tofu is basically a drained firm tofu that has broiled over a direct heat over a grill. Because of that, tofu stays stronger and less likely to break in the hot pot. I don’t think oven works, but if you have a shichirin (wire over charcoal grill), you can make Yaki Tofu. 🙂
Yes, dry sherry or Chinese rice wine is good sub for sake. By the way I met a Japanese company this week and they told me about Takara Sake is selling sake online.
http://www.takarasake.com/Shoppingpage.php?productId=2
and Mirin:
http://www.takarasake.com/Shoppingpage.php?productId=34
Probably shipping is costly, but I thought I’d share. 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you started to cook Japanese foods. Hope to share more easy and delicious recipes. 🙂
I live in the U.S. and love Japanese hot pots like this. Sukiyaki is one of my favorite things to make. I actually never had issues eating raw eggs where I live but I had picked up a little tip for people afraid to try it with the egg. If you hold the raw eggs in a small heatproof bowl over low heat while whisking it just a few seconds, it will be safe eating it raw. Just don’t stop whisking slowly with a fork or whisk or you’ll have scrambled eggs. ^^ Hope that helps.
Hi Tina! Really! That’s a great tip! I guess it’s enough heat for safely consuming the raw egg. Sukiyaki without raw egg is not the same. This is a wonderful tip. Thank you for sharing!
Nice, first time cooking and I love how it turned out. It was great! Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
I used your recipe to make sukiyaki for my husband recently and he LOVED it. He grew up here in Alaska eating mostly Japanese food at home. His elderly mother stopped being able to cook many years ago and he has truly missed it. I will be trying more of your recipes for sure! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Katie! Aw, I’m so happy to hear your husband enjoyed this dish! It’s the nostalgic flavor that you won’t forget. 🙂 Hope I have some recipes that he grew up eating on my blog. 🙂
I had to substitute a lot of the vegetables, but this turned out really well despite my using a shabby old pot to cook it on the oven 🙂 In the UK eggs are pretty safe, and you’re right about how delicious this is when served with them. Many thanks for an awesome and fool-proof recipe!
Hi Ki! Wow thanks so much for trying this recipe with ingredients you can get in your local area! It really inspires me when I hear stories like yours. Thank you for making the effort to cook Japanese food! I know a lot of people don’t cook at all when the ingredients are not found… so I really appreciate it! I’m happy to know you tried it with raw egg too. It gives another layer of deliciousness. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Konichiwa Nami San! I really like your website and recipes. I learn so much about Japanese cuisine and ingredients from you. I have a question about YAKI TOFU, I have never seen this ingredient before in any of the Asian grocery stores in my area. Is it something I can make by simply broiling tofu in the oven?
Arigatō
Konnichiwa Britt! Thank you for reading my blog! I’m happy to hear it’s useful. 😀
Yaki Tofu is very Japanese and I don’t think Chinese or “Asian” grocery stores sell it (correct me if I’m wrong, anyone…).
Yeah, it’s pretty much broiled tofu. It gives nice color in the sukiyaki BUT taste wise, I don’t think it’s that significant, especially in sukiyaki which is pretty salty and sweet (strong flavor) unlike other light flavored hot pot like shabu shabu.
So… is it worth “broiling” the tofu… I might not recommend… but if you want to take a good picture etc, sure! 😀
That makes sense because most of the Asian grocery stores here in Orlando are Chinese. There is a Vietnamese grocery store and also one Korean store but no Japanese although most of these stores sell some Japanese ingredients.
I made a king crab nabe with a kombu dashi and used aburaage instead of the yakitofu. I blanched it first to remove excess oil like you have suggested in other posts ???? My husband, who doesn’t much care for tofu, exclaimed that this was one of his favorite parts of the nabe, aside from the crab! It really soaked up the dashi like a sponge!
I hope this was an authentic substitute. ????
Hi Britt! YUM! Your nabe sounds excellent! One of my favorite ingredients for nabe is…. mochi in aburaage. I look forward to eating it, and luckily my family is not a huge fan so I usually eat them all by myself. I put the instruction in this post. If your husband likes aburaage AND mochi, I think he’ll enjoy it.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/taiwanese-hot-pot-and-homemade-meatballs/
But… now that you told me it’s hard to find Japanese ingredients, maybe you have to get mochi (kiri mochi) on Amazon since Chinese stores don’t carry it…
Yes, it was an authentic sub! 😉
You are the best! I have seen so many recipes for sukiyaki and all of them had the same ingredients but, you gave American alternatives thank you so much! Will be sure to try this one!
Hi Billy! I’m happy to hear you liked the recipe. Hope you enjoy this sukiyaki recipe! Thank you for your kind comment! 🙂
Sukiyaki rules! I’d love to make it at home.
I have a one-burner portable induction cooktop. Could I use it as the tabletop heat source for sukiyaki?
Also, do I serve both udon and shirataki noodles?
Hi Jane! That’s what I use too. You can use both – udon is always added at the end when there is no more ingredients left in the pot. 🙂
Aloha Nami! I’ve made this recipe before in a nabe pot, bit I wonder if it can also be done in an Instant Pot? I know that’s not great for eating sukiyaki with others at the table, but I’m really making it for lunch for the week. I make double the recipe & I love the taste as the days go by & the flavor grows. I was assuming I could just sear the meat using the sautée function, then add the sauce, dashi & other ingredients. But how long would you recommend cooking under high pressure? Or would it not be advisable to even try cooking it this way? どうもありがとうございました!
Aloha Sean! I haven’t tried, but I’m sure you can do it. A couple of things I want to mention.
Thinly sliced meet usually gets harder when you cook for a longer time, so I highly recommend using more marbled fatty meat for tender texture. Rib eye or chuck is good.
Now if you eat sukiyaki, the first meat you add in the pot is for making good dashi/flavor for the sukiyaki, assuming that it’s going to be tougher.
But when you add in while cooking sukiyaki, you usually have to pick up and enjoy after a quick cooking. It’s best when it’s not overcooked. So you kind of keep an eye on YOUR meat. 😉
Since you cook in your IP, you need to remember it’s probably not the “best” sukiyaki type dish. But I see it’s a great lunch menu type of sukiyaki.
Since instant pot does not release any moisture (not evaporating steam), the sauce will not be reduced like when you cook over stovetop. So watch on liquid amount and seasoning. You most likely need to adjust the liquid amount – 1/2 cup of liquid less over all.
You might want to test and see. I usually test a few times when I convert regular recipes to IP recipes. 🙂 Good luck!
ありがとう for reading my blog! xo
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-nikujaga/
You can find pasteurized eggs which are safe to use for this! I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Julie! Yes. It’s a bit pricey, but please enjoy! The egg makes the sukiyaki extra good – sweet and mild, not so salty from the sukiyaki sauce. 🙂
I make Tokyo sukiyaki. I never use cabbage or celery since I think it waters down the sauce and gives the dish an off taste. And I always use 1-2 raw eggs to dip the sukiyaki in. It’s so yummy. I live in the states and have never gotten ill from raw eggs.
Hi Loree! Glad to hear you enjoy Sukiyaki. Napa cabbage is a pretty standard ingredient, but we don’t usually put celery. Mr. JOC eats raw eggs with sukiyaki too and he’s okay (my stomach is more sensitive in general). I just cannot publicly recommend raw eggs on my blog… 🙂
Tried this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for the sukiyaki recipe, Namiko-san!
Hi Kuni-san! So happy to hear that you liked this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe. We did not have the proper cooking equipment so we cooked everything on the stove and then brought the pot to the table. I had never had either of these kinds of mushrooms before, I was never big on mushrooms but these were absolutely delicious. I am glad to have some new ingredients to add to my regular cooking!
Hi Elissa! Thank you for your kind feedback! So happy to hear you tried sukiyaki recipe! Yeah so many kinds of mushrooms and they all have different taste and texture. Very fun! Thank you for writing!
I wanted to make more Asian dishes at home and being a huge fan of sukiyaki, I decided to try this! I didn’t have dashi, but the broth still turned out suuuper delicious – tasted better than the one’s I’ve tried at restaurants! The broiled tofu was super delicious. Because I couldn’t find shirataki/harusame noodles, I used Korean sweet potato noodles (translucent like the ones they use for Korean JapChae). I made this for my boyfriend and I was soooo surprised at how good it turned out to be!! He was so impressed with my cooking that the two of us ended up finishing the entire thing on our own! Thank you so much for this delicious, easy, and quick recipe 🙂
Hi Kristen! I’m glad you and your BF enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 xo
*The* best method for sukiyaki! We loved the flavors and the ease of your recipe. Thank you!
Hi Linda! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for trying my recipe! 🙂
I suki you!!!!! “PUN INTENDED”
Hahaha thank you Aubrey! xo
I want to make this dish, bit I don’t have the pot. I do have a cast iron Dutch pot. It is 10inches in diameter and 6inch in depth. And it has a cast iron lid. Could I use that instead? Also I want to put tofu in it, but I don’t know of I will be able to find yaki tofu, so is there any other tofu I can use? I can easily get Napa cabbage, leeks, shiitaki mushrooms, enoki mushrooms udon, and shirataki noodles.
Hi Sarah! I’m so sorry for my late response. Sure, that will work. If you can’t find yaki tofu, use firm or medium firm tofu for this recipe so it won’t break easily. Yaki Tofu has slight char flavor but you won’t be missing it even you use regular tofu. Again, I apologize I couldn’t get back to you sooner.
Question: Since the beef is seared before everything else is added to the pot, how do you add more once you have run out if you have sauce and veggies still in the pot?
Hi Amanda! You enjoy the first few slices of beef by searing it. You can eat some of it by dipping in the beaten (raw) egg (traditional way – egg makes it really mild and sweet – but I don’t recommend doing this outside of Japan). You leave some of meat and cook with sauce. You can additionally add meat in the soup as you need to. You do not want to cook all the meat at once because meat gets tough as you cook. So add as you need. Hope I answered to your question. 🙂
Hi Nami, can I use chicken thigh instead of beef? Are all the steps same if I use chicken? Thank u
Hi Alice! You can (but just know that we don’t use chicken for sukiyaki in Japan). Same method should be fine. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Hello Nami-san,
Hope you’re doing well!
Since the weather is getting cold here in the Bay Area I made sukiyaki for my parents last night and while I did use your recipe I did make some changes to some ingredients. Besides your suggestions to alternative ingredients I also added bamboo shoots, daikon, and lotus roots in my sukiyaki last night. All worked out well! And while we know that eating raw american eggs is not advisable we always use a raw egg for the reasons you stated. As usual your recipes were spot on oishi!
Matane,
South Bay Jamie
Hi Jamie-san! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe with your parents. Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Looks great! After having sukiyaki in Japan earlier this year I’m eager to give this a try. With “raw” egg too. Here’s how:
There’s a way to sterilize eggs so you can eat them “raw” without getting sick. If you heat eggs with a sous vide set-up set to 54.4C or 130F (or consistently hot water set to 54.4C or 130F). Here’s a post from The Food Lab that explains the science:
https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/10/sous-vide-101-all-about-eggs.html
I have a sousvide machine so I’m good to go, but others can use a themometer and a pot if they’re careful enough.
I hope this is helpful for those wanting to use “raw” eggs safely.
Love the blog!!
Kristin
Hi Kristin! Oh! Thanks for reminding me. I have a blog post about how to sous vide eggs too. I added my blog post link in the post.
Thanks for bringing my attention! 🙂 Thank you for following my blog, Kristin! xoxo
I noticed that often, Japanese recipes require raw eggs, I don’t have an immersion circulator, so when I eat raw eggs I use a method that I learned while living in Africa. An African doctor told me that if I wanted to clean eggs that I had bought in a village, the thing to do is take the egg, put it in a bowl with enough water to cover it, and add three drops of chlorine to the water (as long as the water is about half a liter or less) and let it sit for an hour. This is how I cleaned all the eggs I ate in Africa, and I never once got sick. I looked it up recently, and that method can actually be used to clean water. Here is the link on how to clean water. Not sure if anyone else wants to use that method, but seems to work. https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/BePreparedBeSafe/SevereWeatherandNaturalDisasters/WaterPurification
Hi Apple girl! That is interesting, I had never thought of that method (same as water). Thanks so much for sharing the tip with us!
I have a sukiyaki cast iron pot. Can I use it to fry and cook meat and vegetables? Do I have to treat the pan with oil before use and how do I wash it. I bought this pan many years ago in Tokyo . Many thanks for your help.
Hi Caro! Yes, you will need to season. Before using it for the first time, wash the pot with kitchen detergent. After drying the pan, oil the pan and cook vegetable scraps on low heat, which remove the smell of iron and creates an oil coating to prevent it from rusting. 🙂
Hi Nami! I’ve just made this sukiyaki recipe and it turned out amazing, so perfect, and my Japanese friend said it’s better than anything he’s had. Quick question: can I save the remaining broth to make anything else, or just throw it away? Thank you!!! <3
Hi Viola! I’m so happy to hear you and your Japanese friend enjoyed this dish! Thank you for your kind feedback. It made my day!
Do you mean the Sukiyaki sauce? Save it and make Sukiyaki Donburi (make same thing in a frying pan and serve over rice). We make that next day… or you can save it for up to a week or even longer in an airtight jar. 🙂
すっごく美味しかった！ きっともう一個作りたいです！レシピはポストありがとうございます????
こんにちは、Greysonさん！嬉しいコメントどうもありがとう！
I love this recipe. Don’t have mirin and sake on hand unfortunately, used 1 cup white wine + 4tbs sugar as well as Chinese cooking wine instead. Surprisingly it tasted very good, my husband reckons it was better than our local Japanese restaurants. Love making sukiyaki from scratch, will definitely make it again with proper sauce ingredients. Thank you.
Hi Kathy! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this recipe! It’s a lot cheaper to eat sukiyaki at home (with better ingredients!). Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
I usually use a electric skillet, so it can sit on the middle of the table. I must make Osaka style which makes sense , my bachun is from there.
Hi David! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Nami san , do I need to dissolve Enoki sukiyaki souse for the cooking?
Hi Marina! Enoki mushrooms will not dissolve into the sauce. 🙂
I made this for my family tonight and they all love it!! It was very delicious 😀 My dad, mom and brother all had several bowls of rice!! I was worried that the sauce/soup base would be too sweet since I had it at a Japanese restaurant before and it was too sweet for my taste. I followed the recipe and the sweetness was just right.
Hi Jamie! I’m so happy to hear that. Yay! I love this Sukiyaki sauce too, and you can easily control the flavor by adding more dashi. Easy peasy! Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Hi Nami,
Thank you for your blog. Your blog is my go-to everytime my Japanese husband asked me to make any Japanese dishes. Since he loves Sukiyaki and I don’t consume alcohol, what is the best substitute for sake and mirin?
Thank you so much
Hi Indah! Thank you so much! I put the sub information there along with some important information.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/mirin/
You know Sukiyaki sauce includes only 4 ingredients. 2 are sake and mirin. It can’t be replaced both with water (and sugar)… then basically you will have sugar, soy sauce, and water… I would probably swap water with kombu dashi so you get some flavor in there. Hope this helps!
This was a fantastic (and easy) dish. My family and I really enjoyed this. Question on step #11. What is the purpose of searing /caramelizing the meat with the brown sugar if one is going to proceed with #12 with the sukiyaki sauce + dashi (Kanto style) especially if more meat will be added later. I am just curious as I felt that step could have been skipped but maybe I am missing something.
Hi Jo Ann! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! A lot of people enjoy the seared meat only first because it’s really good quality meat that it’s kind of like a treat. You would just taste the meat first and won’t wait till the sukiyaki is prepared. 🙂
Made this tonight and followed the instructions. It was awesome! It reminded the wife and I of the time we lived in Okinawa and the flavors we miss. Very easy to make and Will definitely be a regular.
Hi Patrick! I’m so glad to hear you and your wife enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for trying it and for your kind feedback. 🙂 Happy to hear this brought a fond memory from your trip to Okinawa!
Very good recipe. Taste like home. I lived in US for over 30 years, now have a fam of 5, all of us eat raw egg almost daily (with rice, etc) and not once has anyone gotten sick. Just regular eggs from grocery. Idk American thought of raw eggs is ‘gross’ and unsafe but it is very good, especially with sukiyaki! Lets try!
Thank you for your kind feedback, Taiwa! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂 Sukiyaki and raw egg is an excellent combination! 🙂
I made this today and it turn out great just like your other recipes. I also add some ginger slice when boiling the sukiyaki sauce because I love the smell of ginger. it
Hi Nao! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Hmmm! Love the addition of ginger! 🙂
Hello,
I made the sukiyaki and it was great! One question, can I store the extra sauce? If so how long will it last? Thank you.
Hi Michael! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback! You can keep the extra sauce if it wasn’t used in the pot. If you keep well (use a clean utensil to take out the sauce etc and no cross-contamination), the sauce lasts for months. 🙂
One more thing – before you use, make sure to reheat and kill any germs (you can’t see). And let cool and use it for sukiyaki.
I made this tonight using pork and it was a big hit with our family, mom + dad and three teenagers. A simple recipe that comes together pretty easily. I used a bottled sukiyaki sauce to save a bit of time.
Hi John! I’m so happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂
Next time, if you have a chance, I hope you try the homemade sukiyaki sauce. It’s our favorite!
Hello! I am going to give it a try on the Sukiaki dish, my favorite one, but I dont think I can find the Shungiko around where I live there is any other subistitute for it? Arigato
Hi Cristiane! Don’t worry, you can skip Shungiku or Chrysanthemum leaves. They are sold in Korean/Chinese/Japanese grocery stores, but otherwise, it’s hard to find. You can add any green for the color. Spinach is even okay. Add toward the end as you don’t need to cook much. 🙂
I’d like to thank your for the recipe.
I’d also like to point out that eggs are overwhelmingly safe in the U.S.; Salmonella (and Campylobacter) evolved to penetrate eggs in a very limited fashion in the late 1970s. While I’d like to see a cleaner, less profit driven environment in U.S. farms, you are very unlikely to contract “the stomach flu” from raw eggs pretty much anywhere in world (as long as they are handled correctly by the cook). If one is immunocompromised, it may be too great a risk to eat raw eggs (anywhere in the world), but otherwise I would recommend using the egg dip no matter where you live.
Hi Matthew! Yeah, I’ve heard that too, but I can’t recommend everyone to eat raw eggs and take full responsibility in case something happens. So.. I’ll have to take the safer route. It’s up to the reader (like you) who is knowledgable about this and fully enjoy Sukiyaki on their own risk. Sukiyaki is so good with raw eggs…:)
Hi, I cooked this, it’s delicious! I have leftover sukiyaki sauce. How to store and how long can I store it? Thanks.
Hi Lisa! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Yes you can store the sauce for up to a month in the fridge. 🙂
My family truly enjoyed this recipe. If you want less sweet soup, you may reduce sugar to 1/8 cup. Thank you for this easy but flavorful and healthy diah. I also appreciate how you put even the small details of preparation. That makes Japanese food at home possible instead of eating in a Japanese resto, which can be expensive.
Hi Sheila! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I’m really glad to hear your family enjoyed it! Thank you for your kind feedback and tip! xo