I decided to put the word “style” because this might not your typical table-top cooking sukiyaki. Instead, this is something my Japanese grandmother used to cook when I visited her in Kumamoto during school break; a pot of sweet and savory beef, cabbage, and tofu simmered on a stovetop of her apartment above a restaurant. She owned the restaurant below and was busy but always had some homemade cooked meal ready for a surprise visit from her grandchildren.
I made this dish a countless number of times when I had our restaurant, sometimes for staff meals, sometimes for our kids to enjoy when I was away for work. You can add less meat and more vegetables and would taste just as good. Also, feel free to add more Nappa cabbage or other ingredients of your choice.
For the Japanese Potato Salad recipe, click here.
Sukiyaki (Style) Beef and Vegetables


Ingredients
- 1 pound Ribeye or Sirloin steak meat with extra marble, thinly sliced
- 1 pack silken tofu cut into 16 pcs
- 1/4 head napa cabbage white and green parts separated
- 1/2 medium yellow onion sliced cross-wise
- 1 medium carrot sliced
- 3-4 spring green onions white and green parts separated, cut into 1/2 inch length
optional ingredients: yam noodle, shiitake mushrooms, edible chrysanthemum leaves
Seasoning
- 1/4 cup soy sauce plus more
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup sake
Instructions
- Mix the soy sauce, mirin, and sake together. Set it aside.
- On a stovetop, heat a medium saute pan (3.5 qt) or a large frying pan. When the pan is hot and almost smoky, add cooking oil and sear beef, preferably without overcrowding the pan. You may do this in multiple batches. Take the meat out when they are lightly brown and set it aside. Continue until all the meat is seared.
- Heat the pan again and add ½ tablespoon of cooking oil. On medium heat saute onion and carrots then add half of #1. Add white parts of Nappa cabbage and green onions. Cook for a few minutes.
- Move the vegetables over to make space and add cut tofu, cooked beef and green parts of Nappa to the pan. Add the remainder of #1 and snuggle all the ingredients. Partially cover the pan and cook on a low heat until all vegetables are cooked through about 15 minutes. Add green onions and taste. Adjust seasoning and simmer for another minute or two.
- Serve hot with a side of potato salad, rice, and shichimi pepper.
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