Sukiyaki - Origin, curiosities, and recipe

Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a quite simple and popular dish in Japan. It is made of sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, udon, and various other ingredients that the person wants. Sukiyaki is usually made in a nabemono, an iron pot used for making stews and keeping it warm in winter.

Sukiyaki is popular in winter, especially during the year-end parties called Bonenkai. The recipe usually uses thinly sliced beef, but it is normal to use pork, especially in the regions of Hokkaidō and Niigata. The most popular ingredients in a sukiyaki are tofu, negi (green onion), cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms.

The way sukiyaki is served in a nabemono aims for a gathering, and also gives the freedom for the person to choose the quantity and what they will put in their bowl. Some restaurants even allow visitors to cook their dish.

Origin of Sukiyaki

It is believed that sukiyaki originated in the Meiji Era around 1868 with the opening of Japan to foreigners. Sukiyaki emerged thanks to the popularization of beef and butter that occurred at that time with the introduction of American and European culinary trends.

Sukiyaki - Origin, curiosities, and recipe

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 the act of frying, grilling, or cooking. But why 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

Practically any vegetable or leaf can be used in creating the recipe. So we recommend not to stick to just one recipe, and feel free to modify and cook in the way you want. Currently, recipes are not limited to beef or pork; it is common to use even chicken or fish.

There are 2 ways to prepare a sukiyaki. The Kansai style where they prefer to cook the meat first and then add all the ingredients later. And the Kanto style where they prefer to cook all the ingredients together.

Make it the way you think is best; if you don’t have or don’t want a certain ingredient in the recipe, feel free to modify it. The amount of each ingredient depends on the person’s preference and how they want the dish to turn out.

Ingredients

For the sukiyaki (Meat and vegetables)

We recommend a tender meat like filet mignon cut into slices;
1 package of shirataki/itokonnyaku noodles or udon;
Tofu cut into cubes;
Chopped green onion
Sliced bok choy leaves
1 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 and legume you want, cut into slices or cubes;

To make 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

Season the meat with onion and grated ginger and soy sauce, let it marinate for 1 hour. Now you decide whether you want to cook everything together or cook the meat first and add the ingredients and sauces as you see fit or as you serve. It is a common practice to add raw egg on top of the recipe in each individual bowl.

I hope you enjoy the recipe! To complement the article, we will leave a video explaining more details and teaching step by step a sukiyaki recipe.