Sukiyaki: A Hot Pot of Seared Negi, Beef and Sweet-Savory Warishita
Sear the negi until fragrant, cook the beef only briefly before the warishita goes in, and then let the tofu, shirataki, mushrooms and greens take up the sweet-savory liquid. Cook everything through before eating.
Sukiyaki is a dish for the table. A shallow pot sits in the middle, thin slices of beef, long green onion (negi), grilled tofu, shirataki noodles, mushrooms and chrysanthemum greens simmer together in a sauce of soy sauce, mirin, water and sugar, and everyone takes pieces out as they are done. In the home recipe followed here, the cooked ingredients are then dipped in beaten egg before eating.
The sauce is called warishita: a premixed blend poured into the pot. This article follows one home recipe from Kikkoman Home Cooking for 3–4 servings, which mixes the warishita first and adds it after the negi and beef have been seared in beef suet. The amounts and order below stay with that single recipe. Ajinomoto Park presents a separate Kanto-style example using a prepared warishita, and explains a Kansai approach in which the beef is seared first and sugar and soy sauce are added directly. That is covered as a separate method further down, not mixed into these steps.
The source recipe lists a cooking time of about 20 minutes. That is the published figure, not a measured one here, and preparation such as parboiling the shirataki can make it longer or shorter.
Ingredients for 3–4 Servings
These are the source recipe's amounts for 3–4 servings, unchanged. The 4 eggs are for the whole pot, not 4 per person.
The warishita is soy sauce, mirin and water at 100ml each, plus 4 tbsp sugar. If you later want it a little sweeter or lighter, treat that as your own adjustment after the base mix, not part of the recipe.
The source recipe names a specific whole-soybean soy sauce product. Using an ordinary Japanese dark (koikuchi) soy sauce instead is a generalization made for this article.
This dish contains beef, egg and soy (grilled tofu and soy sauce). Soy sauce can also contain wheat, so check the label of the product you use, along with labels on shirataki, tofu and mirin. Keep the plate, chopsticks and tongs you use for raw beef separate from the ones you eat with.
Equipment
- A shallow sukiyaki pan or shallow pot
- Knife and cutting board
- A small bowl and spoon for mixing the warishita
- A saucepan for parboiling the shirataki
- A separate plate and chopsticks or tongs for raw beef
- Small individual bowls for beaten egg
Choosing the Beef, Tofu and Shirataki
Beef. Thin slices of chuck roll sold for sukiyaki are what the recipe uses. Thin slicing matters because the beef is cooked only briefly before it simmers. Leaner thin slices also work, but the sweetness from the fat will be more restrained.
Tofu. Grilled tofu holds its shape in the simmering liquid. Pressed firm (momen) tofu can stand in, though it breaks apart more easily.
Shirataki. If you replace shirataki with other konjac noodles, the flavor and texture will change.
Shungiku. Its aroma and bitterness are part of the pot's character, and a substitute shifts the flavor. If you can't find it, leaving it out is fine.
How to Make Sukiyaki
Mix the warishita ahead of time, but in the pot the order is: suet, negi, beef, then warishita, then everything else.
Kanto Style and Kansai Style
Sukiyaki is usually explained in two broad approaches. Ajinomoto Park presents a Kanto-style example in which a warishita is prepared in advance and the ingredients simmer in it. The same page explains a Kansai-style approach in which the beef is seared first, then sugar and soy sauce are added directly to the pot and the simmering liquid is adjusted as you go.
The recipe in this article sits on the warishita side, but it also sears the negi and beef before the sauce goes in. It is one home recipe, not the single correct Kanto method. Both styles vary from household to household and restaurant to restaurant, so treat them as tendencies rather than a strict east–west line. If you want to try the Kansai approach, follow a recipe written for that method instead of mixing its amounts into this one.
In Aichi Prefecture, JA Aichi's regional recipe for 4 servings uses kombu water in its warishita. It is a different formula, shown here only as an example of how widely sukiyaki varies.
Fixing Common Problems
| Condition | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The sauce becomes too strong and salty | The warishita reduced as it simmered | Add the warishita gradually rather than all at once, topping up as it reduces. If it is already too concentrated, add a little water. Both are home adjustments beyond the source recipe's amounts |
| The beef turns tough | It simmered too long after cooking through | Sear the beef only briefly before adding the warishita, and take pieces out once cooked through rather than leaving them in the pot. Never cut heating short for the sake of texture |
| The shungiku goes limp and dull | The thin leaves soften quickly in hot liquid | Place it where you can see it and take it out once wilted and cooked |
| The tofu takes up uneven color | It was never turned | Turn it over partway through simmering, as in step 5 |
Variations
- Without shungiku. If you dislike it or can't find it, leave it out. The pot loses some aroma and gentle bitterness, but the rest of the method stays the same.
- More mushrooms. Enoki and shiitake are the base. Adding shimeji is an option of your own, outside the source recipe.
- Vegetable oil instead of beef suet. It coats the pot just as well, but the aroma of beef fat will be missing.
- Leaner beef. Thin lean slices work; the fat's sweetness will be milder.
- A rice finish. JA Aichi's recipe shows one way to end the meal: making zosui (rice porridge) in the leftover simmering liquid. Treat it as a way of eating outside this recipe's formula, and bring the liquid back to a full boil before adding rice.
The Background of Sukiyaki
A promotional export document from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries describes sukiyaki made with beef spreading in the early Meiji era, around 1870. That is an overview, not a detailed history; the origin of the name, an exact birthplace or a single inventor have not been established here and are not claimed.
What can be said is how the dish lives at the table today: ingredients go into one pot in turn, and people serve themselves as each piece is done. Households in Japan adjust the sweetness, the strength of the liquid and the choice of ingredients to their own taste. For other ways beef appears in East Asian cooking, see Sichuan shuizhu niurou and Korean japchae; they are different dishes, not variations of this recipe. For more about the country's cooking, see the Japan page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use beef not labeled for sukiyaki?
Yes, as long as it is thinly sliced. Thin slices cook quickly when seared briefly before the warishita goes in. Leaner cuts give less of the sweetness that comes from fat.
Can I use store-bought warishita?
You can. Sweetness and concentration differ between products, so follow the label for how much to use and whether to dilute it.
Can I eat sukiyaki without raw egg?
Yes. Leave out the egg and eat the ingredients once they are fully cooked. If you want egg but would rather cook it, FoodSafety.gov's general guidance is to cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. Dipping hot ingredients into raw egg does not guarantee the egg is safely cooked.
What goes well as a finish?
One example from JA Aichi is zosui made in the leftover simmering liquid. It is outside this recipe's formula, so make it as an extra.
How should I handle leftovers?
Divide them into shallow containers, cool them quickly and refrigerate. When reheating, heat to 75°C or above, and bring the liquid to a boil, following the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's general home guidance. No specific storage period has been confirmed for this dish, so eat leftovers soon.
Sources
- Kikkoman Home Cooking, "すき焼き（簡単割り下と人気の具材も紹介）" (Sukiyaki, with an easy warishita and popular ingredients). The 3–4 serving ingredients and warishita amounts, the preparation, the order of searing negi and beef in suet before adding warishita and simmering the other ingredients, and eating with beaten egg. https://www.kikkoman.co.jp/homecook/search/recipe/00002478/
- Ajinomoto Park, "簡単割り下で時短！すき焼き（関東風）の作り方" (Quick sukiyaki with easy warishita, Kanto style). An example of the warishita-first Kanto style and the page's explanation of the Kansai approach of searing beef and adding sugar and soy sauce. https://park.ajinomoto.co.jp/recipe/card/205515/
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "Sukiyaki, Shabu-shabu and Teppanyaki." An overview placing the spread of beef sukiyaki in the early Meiji era, around 1870. https://www.maff.go.jp/j/shokusan/export/e_info/attach/pdf/201007-8.pdf
- JA Aichi, "すき焼き" (Sukiyaki). A regional example for 4 servings using kombu water in the warishita, and making zosui from the leftover liquid. https://www.ja-aichi.or.jp/aichi-recipe/recipe-2013/beef-sukiyaki.html
- FoodSafety.gov, "Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature." General guidance to cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm. https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "家庭でできる食中毒予防の６つのポイント" (Six points for preventing food poisoning at home). General home guidance: heating to a center of 75°C for at least 1 minute, separating raw meat from cooked food, dividing leftovers into shallow containers, and reheating to 75°C or above. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/shokuhin/syokuchu/01_00006.html
