Winter doesn’t leave room for indecision about what to eat tonight because even if you have hot pot every day, you won’t get tired of it. There are so many varieties of hot pot – fresh and fragrant, spicy and refreshing, or pure and simple – there’s always one that suits you.
Today, I’m making Sukiyaki, which I first encountered years ago while watching an episode of “Tales of the Unusual.” The male lead in the show had an unparalleled obsession with the “perfect Sukiyaki,” not just in terms of the ingredients and broth, but even down to the precise number of times to stir the eggs and the exact angle at which to arrange the ingredients in the pot.
But I must admit, watching this “obsessive-compulsive Sukiyaki” was incredibly satisfying, and I ended up watching that episode more than 5 times before attempting to make it myself. 
Sukiyaki, a pot dish beloved in Japanese households, is usually prepared by the male head of the family, who doesn’t typically do housework, to show the significance of this dish in the home. From another perspective, it means that this hot pot is extremely simple to make, so even those who don’t usually cook can do it effortlessly, making it a true “lazy person’s hot pot.”
Vegetables soak up the sweet and savory broth, while the beef, rolled in egg liquid, becomes tender and non-greasy. My favorite way to enjoy it is to add a bowl of udon noodles at the end, simmering in the bubbling steam, and I could eat this until spring arrives.
With the steam from the pot separating us from the cold wind,
bubbles of warmth and happiness rise in the hot pot.
Ingredients:
- Kombu (dried kelp)
- Firm tofu
- Beef fat
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- Mirin (sweet rice wine)
- Napa cabbage
- White part of green onions
- Konjac root (yam cake)
- Carrots
- Enoki mushrooms
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Choy sum
- Japanese soy sauce
- Organic eggs
Preparation:
1、Prepare Kombu Broth: Boil water with kombu until it reaches a simmer.
2、Fry the Tofu: Pan-fry the firm tofu until both sides are golden brown, then set aside.
3、Sear the Beef: Spread the beef fat on the bottom of a hot pot (if no beef fat, use butter or oil), then lay out the thinly sliced beef. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the beef slices (yes, traditional Sukiyaki beef is sweetened; if you don’t like sweetness, use less).
4、Season the Beef: Add an appropriate amount of soy sauce and mirin (if no mirin, use sake instead) until the beef changes color.
5、Arrange Vegetables: Move the beef to one side of the pot, then layer in the Napa cabbage, white part of green onions, konjac root (avoid placing next to the beef as it can make the meat tough), fried tofu, carrots, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and finally, the choy sum.
6、Cook: Add a little more Japanese soy sauce and mirin, pour in the kombu broth, cover, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Dipping Sauce: Beat a fresh organic egg to make the dipping sauce for Sukiyaki. The egg liquid cools down the ingredients, enhances the flavor, and provides lubrication.
Main Dish: When the ingredients are nearly finished, add udon noodles to the pot and pour the remaining egg dipping sauce over them.
