Sukiyaki
You will need a special cast-iron sukiyaki pan (sukiyaki-nabe) and burner or a similar table-top cooker for this dish. It is great fun because guests can cook their own dinner in front of them, and then help themselves to the delicious morsels of food.
Ingredients
- 1kg / 2¼Ib beef topside, thinly sliced lard, for cooking
- 4 leeks or spring onions, sliced diagonally into 1cm / ½in pieces
- bunch of shungiku leaves, stems removed, chopped (optional)
- bunch of enoki mushrooms, brown roots cut off (optional)
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
- 300g / 11oz shirataki noodles, boiled for 2 minutes, drained and halved
- 2 pieces grilled beancurd (yaki tofu), about 10 x 7cm / 4 x 2¾in, cut into 3cm / 1¼in cubes
- 4 fresh eggs, to serve
For the sukiyaki stock:
- 100ml / 3½fl oz / scant ½ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 45ml / 3 tbsp sugar
- 105ml / 7 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
For the seasoning mix:
- 200ml / 7fl oz / scant 1 cup dashi (kombu and bonito stock) or instant dashi
- 100ml / 3½fl oz / scant ½ cup sake or dry white wine
- 15ml / 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
Preparation
 |  |
- Make the sukiyaki stock. Pour the mirin (sweet rice wine) into a pan and bring to the boil. Stir in the sugar and soy sauce, bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the seasoning mix, heat the dashi, sake or wine and soy sauce in a small pan. As soon as the mixture boils, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Fan out the beef slices on a large serving plate. Put the lard for cooking on the same plate. Arrange all the remaining ingredients, except the eggs, on one or more large plates.
- Stand the portable cooker on a suitably heavy mat to protect the dining table and ensure that it can be heated safely. Melt the lard, add three or four slices of beef and some leeks or spring onions, and then pour in the sukiyaki stock. Gradually add the remaining ingredients, except the eggs.
- Place each egg in a ramekin and beat lightly with chopsticks. Place one before each diner. When the beef and vegetables are cooked, diners help themselves to whatever they fancy, dipping their chosen piece of meat, vegetable or grilled beancurd (yaki tofu) in the raw egg before eating.
- When the stock has thickened, gradually stir in the seasoning mix and carry on cooking until all the ingredients have been eaten.
Serves 4.