Japanese Sukiyaki
- Christine Simons
- Aug 11
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 28
My Chinese grandfather grew up in Japanese-occupied Taiwan during WWII. As such, he had a lot of exposure to Japanese culture and even developed a preference for Japanese food. Among his favorites was sukiyaki. Though my grandfather died many years before I was born, my grandmother carried on his memory by making this favorite dish for the family, usually over Christmas.
As I mentioned in my post about Chinese hot pot, sukiyaki is a similar dish, but with a Japanese twist. Like hot pot, it’s more of an experience than a dish, something to be shared over hours of conversation and laughter. Because each batch may include differing ingredients and differing company, it’s never the same dish twice. But in this post, we’ll go over an approximation of the types of ingredients typically used, at least by my family.
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Before we get into the nitty-gritty of this dish, a couple of disclaimers: First of all, my grandmother has developed her own method for making a large batch of sukiyaki that does not involve cooking as you go. Second of all, she learned how to cook this version of sukiyaki to please my grandfather, not Japanese culinary experts. In other words, my grandmother’s recipe isn’t the true, authentic version of the dish.
Lastly, I need to explain the dipping sauce. Unlike Chinese hot pot—which uses a sesame- and peanut-based sauce—traditional sukiyaki ingredients are dipped in a “sauce” of raw scrambled egg. While this may be a traditional practice, my family is cautious about consuming raw egg, as there is a risk of contracting salmonella (though the risk is very small). One Christmas, we splurged and bought UV-pasteurized eggs, which allowed us to eat them raw without risk. But man, were they expensive!
Today, my grandmother uses a UV light sanitizer to irradiate her eggs. While the sanitizer is expensive, it is a medical necessity for her, as she uses it to clean her CPAP machine. But, since she has it on hand, she’s found a way to get additional use out of it. And really, isn’t that what homesteading is all about—taking what you already have and adapting it for your family’s needs?
Anyway, so now that we have those details out of the way, let’s dive into the recipe!
Preparation: Materials
As with hot pot, the first step of making sukiyaki is preparing all of the materials and ingredients. One of the first things you’ll need to determine is what you’ll use to cook the sukiyaki. My grandmother makes hers in a large electric skillet (which you can find for a reasonable price on Amazon), though sometimes it takes two skillets to feed the whole family.
Additionally, while she works on the sukiyaki itself, she sets up her rice cooker to make white rice, which forms a bed for the sukiyaki when it’s served. Apparently, she and my grandfather purchased her rice cooker in 1965, when they were visiting relatives in Japan, and (as of 2025) it still functions! Oh, to have appliances with such long lifespans… Modern manufacturers don’t make products to last this long anymore (if y’all want a post about planned obsolescence and its impact on the modern homesteader, let me know in the comments!).
She also sets out her cutting board(s) and knives for slicing the meat and chopping the vegetables (which, frankly, is the longest part of the process). This brings us to our next step…
Preparation: Ingredients
Like Chinese hot pot, Japanese sukiyaki includes a large number of ingredients. My grandmother is very particular about the ingredients she uses, especially the meat. She’s also very particular about the order in which they are added to the sukiyaki pot, as each ingredient has slightly different cooking times.
For the meat, my grandmother does not like to buy thinly shaved or sliced beef; rather, she buys sirloin steaks, freezes them, and then thinly shaves them herself. Not only does she slice the meat against the grain, but she also slices it at an angle, turning the frozen steak on its side before she angles the knife against it. This allows her to get a very tender, delicious cut of meat.
To build the flavor of the soup, she doesn’t use a block of soup base, as one would do for hot pot. Rather, she builds her own flavor by frying aromatics and searing the beef. So, to prepare those aromatics, she dices a yellow onion and slices ginger and garlic cloves. For the soup itself, she uses low-sodium beef broth, soy sauce (which supplies sodium), and brown sugar.
For the soup solids, she slices and rehydrates shitake mushrooms, pouring water over them until they are just barely covered; once they've soaked, she reserves the water for the soup base. She also quarters white button mushrooms to add more mushroom flavor. She slices the green onions (the whites into slender rounds, the greens into 1½ lengths, slicing them at an angle). Then, she coarsely chops napa cabbage and romaine lettuce. Lastly, she takes glass noodles (also called mung bean thread noodles) and rehydrates them (though she waits to do this step until they’re almost ready to cook).
The Process
Okay! So now that we have all our ingredients gathered and prepared, let’s make some sukiyaki!
Start with the diced yellow onion. In a large electric skillet, sauté the diced onion over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just caramelized. This may take up to an hour, though you can speed the process by turning up the heat slightly; just note that you'll need to stir more often to prevent scorching. (Pro Tip: start the diced yellow onion before anything else, and prepare your other vegetables while the onions slowly turn a golden-brown.)
While the onions are caramelizing, start cooking your white rice. The rice should be ready after only 20 minutes, and the rice cooker should keep it warm while you prepare the sukiyaki.
Once the onions have just barely caramelized, remove them from the skillet, leaving the oil behind (better to undercook than overcook!). Next, add the garlic and ginger to the electric skillet. Sauté until fragrant, which should only take thirty seconds to a minute. Once the aromatics are cooked, remove them from the heat and set aside, again leaving the oil in the skillet. This is key, as the now-flavored oil will form the base for the soup’s flavor.
Next, take the thinly-shaved beef and lay it out in the hot oil. Allow the beef to brown untouched for several minutes on each side. Again, this is key, as the charred beef adds flavor to the soup base, so resist the temptation to turn the meat before it is well-browned. Then, remove the meat and set aside, once more leaving the oil in the skillet.
Now, we’re going to build the soup broth (keep in mind that these measurements are for an electric skillet.) Add the reserved shitake mushroom water, 1 quart beef broth, ¼ cup soy sauce, and ⅛ cup brown sugar to the skillet. Stir well, scraping the oil and charred beef drippings from the bottom of the skillet. Then, bring the mixture to a simmer.
Once the broth is simmering, return the beef and aromatics to the soup. Next, add the mushrooms—both the rehydrated shitake and the white button mushrooms. Again, allow the soup to simmer until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
While the broth simmers, soak the glass noodles in water. Often, these noodles are wrapped in coils, which makes for very long strands. My grandmother will cut the noodles at the coil bend to make them a more manageable length. While those noodles are soaking, taste the broth and add soy sauce or brown sugar to taste.
Next, add the coarsely chopped napa cabbage and green onion whites; simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Make sure all pieces are submerged in the broth. After the napa has cooked, add the romaine and green onion greens; simmer until tender, about 3 minutes. Again, make sure all pieces are submerged in the broth.
Once all the vegetables have been cooked, it’s time to add the glass noodles. Using a spaghetti spoon, scoop all the veggies and meat to one side of the skillet (they should take up about two-thirds of the skillet). In the remaining space, drop in the rehydrated glass noodles. Simmer until tender, about 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and bring the skillet to the table. Whisk raw eggs and portion into small bowls for each person. Allow each person to serve themselves rice and top it with sukiyaki ingredients and broth, with raw egg for dipping. Enjoy!
Sukiyaki: Recipe
Ingredients:
Cooking oil
White rice
Diced yellow onions
Sliced garlic
Sliced ginger root
Beef, shaved/thinly sliced at an angle
Low-sodium beef broth
Soy sauce (or tamari sauce, a gluten-free alternative)
Brown sugar
Dried shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced and rehydrated; reserve the water
White button mushrooms, cored and thickly sliced
Napa cabbage, coarsely chopped
Green onion whites, sliced
Green onion greens, 1½ inch pieces sliced at an angle
Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
Glass noodles (mung bean threads)
Raw eggs (irradiated, if possible)
Directions:
In a large electric skillet, sauté the diced onion over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just barely caramelized.
While the onions are caramelizing, cook white rice in a rice cooker.
Once the onions are just caramelized, remove from heat, leaving the oil in the skillet.
Add garlic and ginger to the skillet. Sauté for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. Remove the aromatics from heat and set aside, leaving the oil in the skillet.
Lay the thinly sliced beef in the hot oil and allow to brown for several minutes on each side. Resist the temptation to turn the meat before it is well-browned. Then, remove the meat and set aside.
Add reserved shitake mushroom water, 1 quart beef broth, ¼ cup soy sauce, and ⅛ cup brown sugar to the skillet. Stir well, scraping the oil and charred beef drippings from the bottom. Bring to a simmer.
Return the beef and aromatics and add the mushrooms. Allow to simmer until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
While the broth simmers, soak the glass noodles in water. Taste the broth and add soy sauce or brown sugar to taste.
Add the coarsely chopped napa cabbage and green onion whites; simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Make sure all pieces are submerged in the broth.
Add the romaine and green onion greens; simmer until tender, about 3 minutes. Again, make sure all pieces are submerged in the broth.
Using a spaghetti spoon, scoop all the solid ingredients to one side of the skillet (they should take up about two-thirds of the skillet). In the remaining space, drop in the rehydrated glass noodles. Simmer until tender, about 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat and bring the skillet to the table. Whisk raw eggs and portion into small bowls for each person.
Allow each person to serve themselves rice and top it with sukiyaki ingredients and broth, with raw egg for dipping. Enjoy!
What do you think of this recipe? Have you tried sukiyaki before? How does this recipe compare? Let me know in the comments!
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