Ingredients

Sukiyaki Sauce (Warishita)

   
120g sake
120g mirin
45g sugar
120g soy sauce

Kombu Dashi (for diluting)

   
480g water
5g kombu

Hot Pot

   
225g thinly sliced well-marbled beef (ribeye)
340g napa cabbage, cut into 5cm pieces
100g shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), cut into 5cm pieces
1 Tokyo negi (white part), sliced diagonally
45g gobo (burdock root), shaved into thin strips
100g onion, sliced
50g enoki mushrooms, trimmed
50g maitake mushrooms
50g shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
128g grilled tofu (yaki dofu), cut into pieces
100g shirataki noodles, boiled 2 min and drained
15g neutral oil

For Serving

   
2 eggs (pasteurized, for dipping — optional)
1 serving udon noodles, cooked (for shime finishing course)

Steps

  1. Soak kombu in water at least 30 minutes for dashi. Make the sauce: boil sake and mirin 1 minute to evaporate alcohol, add sugar and soy sauce, stir until dissolved. Set both aside.

  2. Heat cast-iron pot over medium. Add oil, then pour in just enough sauce to cover the bottom. Sear a few slices of beef, flipping once. Enjoy the first round of beef at its best.

  3. Add vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, and shirataki to the pot. Pour in enough sauce to partially submerge (about one-third up). If not using egg for dipping, add some kombu dashi to dilute. Simmer until cooked through.

  4. Transfer cooked ingredients to individual bowls. Optionally dip in beaten raw egg. Adjust broth with more sauce or dashi as you cook in rounds.

  5. For shime: add cooked udon to the remaining broth and heat through.

Notes

  • This is Kanto-style sukiyaki (sauce-based). Kansai-style skips the premade sauce and seasons directly with sugar then soy sauce on the meat.
  • The sauce keeps refrigerated up to a month. Also works for gyudon, nikujaga, and simmered fish.
  • Adjust broth throughout cooking — add dashi if too salty, sauce if too mild. This is normal.
  • In Japan, sukiyaki is dipped in beaten raw egg. Use pasteurized eggs for safety outside Japan.
  • Use a cast-iron pot, not a donabe — you need to sear the meat.
  • Well-marbled beef is essential. Each person only needs about 120–150g because of the fat content.