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Japan, Asia · Sukiyaki

Kansai-Style Sukiyaki with Marbled Beef

The Osaka way: well-marbled beef seared in suet and seasoned right in the pan with sugar and soy, balanced with kombu broth and finished with udon.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time40 min
Kombu soaking+ 30 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsDipping in raw egg is traditional. Use very fresh, ideally pasteurised eggs with intact shells, keep them chilled and crack them just before eating. Young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone with weakened immunity should use pasteurised eggs or skip the raw egg.

Method

  1. Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth (don't wash off the white powder; it is flavour), put it in the water and soak for at least to make a light kombu broth. Lift out the kombu just before using.

    Add in this stepKombu (dried kelp) 5 gWater (for the kombu broth) 250 ml

  2. Cut the long onion into 4 cm logs, cut the tofu into thick 3 cm pieces and pat dry, trim the shiitake stems and cut the chrysanthemum into 5 cm lengths. Boil the shirataki on high heat for , drain, and cut into easy lengths.

    Add in this stepJapanese long green onion (negi) or a slim leek 1½Grilled tofu or firm tofu 150 gFresh shiitake mushrooms 4Shirataki (konjac noodles) 150 gGarland chrysanthemum (shungiku) or spinach 60 g

    high heat

  3. Heat a 24 cm cast-iron or heavy pan on medium-high heat and rub the suet over the base for until it shines with fat. Stand the onion logs cut side down, lay in the tofu and sear for without moving them, until deeply browned. Push them to the edge.

    Add in this stepBeef suet 20 g

    medium-high heat

  4. Now the Kansai part: lay 1 or 2 slices of beef per person flat in the empty space, sprinkle a little of the sugar right onto the meat and drizzle over some soy sauce. Cook on medium heat for , until the sugar melts into a glossy, caramel-scented glaze and the meat is just cooked. Turn once, dip in beaten egg and eat. This first bite is the highlight.

    Add in this stepWell-marbled beef for sukiyaki, thinly sliced (rib-eye or sirloin) 120 gSugar 14 gSoy sauce 22 mlVery fresh eggs, for dipping 2

    medium heat

  5. Pour in the sake and about half the kombu broth, then add the shiitake and shirataki (keep the shirataki away from the meat). Season with the remaining sugar and soy sauce a little at a time, tasting as you go: sweet and salty but never cloying. Simmer on medium-high heat for , then turn down to medium heat.

    Add in this stepSake 50 mlSugar 21 gSoy sauce 33 ml

    medium-high heat→medium heat

  6. Add the remaining beef in small amounts as you eat, cooking each batch for about until just no longer pink, and add the chrysanthemum at the end so it only wilts. Whenever the sauce gets too strong, loosen it with more kombu broth.

    Add in this stepWell-marbled beef for sukiyaki, thinly sliced (rib-eye or sirloin) 180 g

  7. To finish, add the udon to the remaining sauce, loosen with a little kombu broth if needed and simmer on medium heat for , turning, until the noodles have soaked up the sauce. Dip them in the leftover egg.

    Add in this stepFresh or frozen udon, to finish 150 g

    medium heat

Cook's tip

Choose beef with fine, even white marbling and ask for 1.5 mm sukiyaki slices; the fat melting into the sugar and soy is what gives Kansai sukiyaki its flavour. Sugar first, soy second: soy poured onto bare hot metal burns. Too sweet, add soy; too salty, add kombu broth.

Cooking it at camp

Searing in suet works beautifully in a cast-iron skillet over a gas burner or medium charcoal. Soak the kombu overnight at home in a lidded bottle and keep it, the beef and the eggs in a cooler below 5 °C. Bring the sugar and soy in small bottles and season at the fire.