Sukiyaki is a Japanese hot pot dish made with thinly sliced beef, tofu, vegetables, and konnyaku noodles. It is typically cooked tableside in a cast iron skillet with soy sauce and mirin. There are regional variations in its preparation and it is often served during winter months. The dish is believed to have originated during the Meiji era and is sometimes associated with a famous Japanese song called “Sukiyaki.”
Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish that is usually cooked tableside in a cast iron skillet. It typically contains thinly sliced beef, tofu cubes, and a variety of fresh vegetables. Noodles called konnyaku may also be added. The ingredients are simmered, soy sauce and mirin, a sweet Japanese cooking wine. Lightly beaten raw eggs are served as a dipping condiment for sukiyaki ingredients.
Japan’s renowned Kobe beef is considered the best available for making sukiyaki. The best cuts are well-marbled sirloin or paper-thin sliced filet mignon, although lower grades of beef can be used. Extra firm tofu holds up well in a hot pot and is preferred over plain or silky tofu. Traditional vegetables include spring onions, chrysanthemum leaves and Japanese mushrooms. Konnyaku noodles have a gelatinous texture and are made from a root called devil’s tongue.
In Japan, there are two distinct regional styles of sukiyaki. In the Kanto region surrounding Tokyo and Yokohama, ingredients are combined in the pan and simmered together in broth. In the Kansai region surrounding Osaka and Kyoto, beef and tofu are first seared with oil or beef tallow in the pan. Vegetables are added, broth is poured over them, and noodles are added last. In the northern provinces of Niigata and Hokkaido, pork may be substituted for beef.
The dish is believed to have originated during the Meiji era between 1868 and 1912, when Japan opened its ports to foreign visitors. Some sources claim, however, that the dish originated in Korea, where it is known as chongol. Either way, sukiyaki became popular in Japan during the Meiji era when beef first became available to the general population.
Sukiyaki is typically served during the winter months when families gather around heated tables of kotatsu used for both cooking and warmth. The dish is also served during winter festivities at the end of December “forgetting the year” festivals called bonenkai. There are also sukiyaki restaurants throughout Japan that serve the dish year-round.
A famous Japanese song “Ue o muite aruko” by Kyu Sakamoto was released under the Americanized title “Sukiyaki”. The Japanese title means “I will walk looking up” and the song is about a man who has lost his love and wants to stop the tears from flowing. The song’s lyrics have nothing to do with the dish known as sukiyaki.
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