Sometimes, a single pot filled with a great-tasting broth and enriching ingredients is all you need to wash your worries away. Have a taste of the sweet and savory counterpart of hot pot from Japan with this One Pot Kanto-Style Sukiyaki recipe.
One Pot Kanto-Style Sukiyaki Recipe
What is Japanese Sukiyaki?
Sukiyaki is a nabemono or one-pot dish where thinly sliced meat, various vegetables, mushrooms, and other ingredients are cooked and simmered in a donabe or Japanese clay pot filled with a sweet and savory broth made from soy sauce and mirin.
There are various accounts on the history of sukiyaki. It is said that sukiyaki’s origins be traced back to the Edo period where farmers use “suki” or spades to grill (yaki) food like tofu and fish.
Some have also mentioned that sukiyaki comes from the Japanese word sukimi which means “thinly sliced beef”.
Today, sukiyaki is commonly served in bōnenkai or year-end parties during the winter, offering a warm and satisfying farewell to the year that has been.
What's the difference between Sukiyaki and Hot Pot?
Japanese sukiyaki and Chinese hot pot have their fair share of similarities and differences.
For starters, leafy vegetables like bokchoy, cabbage, mushrooms, tofu, and clear noodles are some of the ingredients you can find in both dishes.
In terms of meat used, sukiyaki uses slightly thicker slices of meat compared to the ones used in hot pots, but still thin enough to be cooked quickly.
Similar to Chinese hot pot, the meat in Kanto-style sukiyaki is cooked by dunking it in the boiling broth. On the other hand, the meat in Kansai-style sukiyaki is seared in the pot first before adding the broth and other ingredients.
Speaking of broths, Chinese hot pots, particularly Sichuan-style hot pots, tend to lean on the spicier side, employing chili peppers in both the soup and dipping sauce.
Sukiyaki Broth Ingredients
In the recipe below, the sukiyaki sauce, or warishita in Japanese, is made of two key ingredients. Both of these ingredients work hand in hand in giving sukiyaki its distinct and well-balanced mix of sweet and beefy flavors. Both are also widely used in a handful of Japanese recipes, so it's a good idea to always have these in your kitchen!
Mirin or sweet rice wine is the secret ingredient behind the sukiyaki broth's depth and complexity. It adds a delightful mix of sweet and rich flavors, which you can also encounter in other Japanese dishes. Because Kikkoman Aji Mirin is already sweetened rice wine, it perfectly balances out the strong taste of the other main ingredient of warishita.
Countering the sweetness of the mirin is none other than Japanese soy sauce or shoyu. One of the best soy sauce for sukiyaki you can find in your local market or Asian groceries online is Kikkoman Soy Sauce. A staple in Japanese recipes, soy sauce enhances the taste of your beef and vegetables and gives your broth a moderately briny taste.
The Sukiyaki Raw Egg Dipping Sauce
In Chinese hot pot, you can enjoy a wide range and varied combinations of chili, nutty, garlicky, and savory sauces to flavor your soup. However, sukiyaki is traditionally enjoyed with a unique dipping sauce: beaten raw eggs.
Your initial thought must be: “Wouldn’t that taste slimy?”
You may feel a subtle change in texture but the rich and slight sweetness of the raw eggs balances the salty ingredients of your sukiyaki delightfully.
We recommend that you use pasteurized eggs so they are safe to consume even when raw. Alternatively, you can crack the egg directly on the bubbling broth to cook it slightly in the heat of the soup.
Sukiyaki Serving Suggestions
Sukiyaki may be the superstar of your dinner table, but you can have a wholesome and filling meal with these carb options. Trust us, your stomach will be thanking you afterwards!
Glass noodles are typically included in sukiyaki recipes. It's cooked together with the rest of the assembles ingredients under the bubbling sukiyaki broth. With its all-natural and gluten-free ingredients, Sempio Sweet Potato Glass Noodles is our pick for this recipe. These stringy noodles offer a good amount of carbs while remaining light in the tummy down to the last sip. Plus, it's vegan too!
If noodles in your sukiyaki is not enough, that's perfectly fine. Because as with any Asian dish, a steaming bowl of sukiyaki goes best with a steaming bowl of white rice!
If sukiyaki can be made with only 5 ingredients in less than 30 minutes, we'll make things easier for you by recommending CJ Hetbahn Microwaveable White Rice to complete the whole meal! Despite being an "instant food", it's made with high-quality grains and fresh water that cooks into a fragrant and subtly sweet white rice that will complement and never compromise the deliciousness of your sukiyaki.
How to Cook One Pot Kanto-Style Sukiyaki
Prepare sweet and savory one pot sukiyaki with this sukiyaki recipe from Spice the Plate. While you can get sukiyaki meat from your local groceries, you can find all the ingredients for the best-tasting sukiyaki broth with products available in Karman Foods!
For more authentic Asian products, you can order through our online Asian Market.
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