Easy Sukiyaki Recipe | Simple Japanese Beef Hot Pot Dinner
Sukiyaki is a cozy, crowd-pleasing Japanese hot pot that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Think tender slices of beef simmered in a sweet-savory broth with mushrooms, tofu, noodles, and veggies—all cooked together at the table. It’s comforting, balanced, and fun to share.
Ingredients
- Beef: 12–16 oz paper-thin sliced ribeye or sirloin (shabu-shabu or hot pot cut)
- Tofu: 1 block firm or medium-firm tofu, cut into cubes
- Mushrooms: 1–2 cups shiitake, enoki, or shimeji (mix if you like)
- Greens: 1 small bunch napa cabbage or bok choy, chopped
- Alliums: 1 onion (or 2–3 scallions), sliced; optional 1 small leek, bias-cut
- Noodles: 1 pack shirataki or yam noodles, rinsed and drained (or glass noodles)
- Konnyaku (optional): If not using shirataki noodles
- Carrot (optional): 1 small, thinly sliced
- Sukiyaki sauce (warishita): 1/2 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirin
- ⅓ cup sake
- 2–3 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)
- ½ cup water or light dashi (optional but nice)
- Neutral oil or beef tallow: 1 tablespoon for searing
- Eggs for dipping (optional): 1 per person, very fresh, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients: Slice the onion, chop the cabbage into bite-size pieces, cut tofu into cubes, trim mushrooms, and rinse shirataki. Lay everything on a tray so it’s ready to go.
- Make the warishita sauce: In a bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and water or dashi. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust sweetness or saltiness.
- Heat the pot: Set a wide, shallow pot or skillet over medium heat. Add oil or a small piece of beef fat if you have it.
- Quick-sear some beef: Add a few slices of beef and sear just until the color changes. This adds flavor to the pot. Don’t cook all the beef yet.
- Add the sauce base: Pour in about half of the warishita. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Arrange the veggies: Add tofu, onion, cabbage, mushrooms, and noodles in separate sections of the pot. Keep a spot open for adding beef as you go.
- Simmer gently: Cook 5–7 minutes until the vegetables soften and soak up the flavors. Add more warishita as needed so the ingredients are partially submerged.
- Cook the beef to order: Add several slices of beef, swishing them in the simmering sauce until just pink (30–60 seconds). Eat as you go and keep adding more beef and sauce throughout the meal.
- Optional egg dip: If using, crack fresh eggs into small bowls and whisk lightly. Dip cooked beef and hot veggies into the egg for a silky finish.
- Adjust and finish: Taste the broth. Add a splash of water if it gets too salty, or a pinch of sugar if you want it sweeter. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer as everyone eats.