Easy Sukiyaki Recipe with Beef and Udon

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Sukiyaki is a Japanese hot pot made with thinly sliced beef, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables cooked in a sweet soy-based sauce. My 30-minute sukiyaki recipe is served from a shallow pot at the table, with rice and beaten egg on the side.

I love this sukiyaki recipe, although I absolutely do not love shirataki noodles. You’ll find them in many traditional sukiyaki recipes, but I’m not a fan of the texture, so you won’t find them in mine, but feel free to use them if you want.

I like to add udon at the end of the meal, which is also a traditional way to eat sukiyaki in Japan. Once most of the beef, tofu and veggies have gone, the cooked udon goes into the remaining sauce for the final course. That also saves me from having to eat shirataki, which is reason enough as far as I’m concerned!

Why Make Sukiyaki at Home

• Thinly sliced beef cooks fast: Beef sold for sukiyaki or hot pot needs very little time in the pan. The entire recipe takes only half an hour.
• You don’t need a special pot: A wide cast iron skillet works well if you don’t own a Japanese sukiyaki pot.
• The sauce is easy to make: Soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar make a simple homemade warishita, although bottled sukiyaki sauce is fine too.
• Two dishes in one: Udon noodles go into the remaining sauce after most of the beef and vegetables have been eaten, giving you a second course.

Beef and Tofu Sukiyaki Ingredients

• Beef: Look for beef sliced specifically for sukiyaki or hot pot. Ribeye or sirloin also works if you can get it sliced very thinly. I used to live near a wonderful Japanese supermarket called Seiwa in Houston but sukiyaki beef’s a bit harder to find here in Newquay!
• Firm tofu: Firm tofu won’t break up like silken tofu and still absorbs plenty of the sauce.
• Napa cabbage: Also known as Chinese cabbage, this softens quickly in the hot sauce.
• Shiitake mushrooms: Fresh shiitake are good in sukiyaki. I also add enoki, although you can mix and match the mushrooms you use.
• Green onions: Spring onions in the UK. Cut them into fairly large diagonal pieces rather than chopping them finely.
• Udon noodles: I use cooked udon for the final course, adding it to the sauce left in the pan.
• Eggs: Dipping cooked sukiyaki into beaten raw egg is traditional in Japan. If you’re in the US or somewhere eggs aren’t routinely considered suitable for eating raw, use pasteurized eggs for dipping.

Homemade Sukiyaki Sauce

The seasoned cooking liquid used for Kanto-style sukiyaki is called warishita. Mine combines soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar and water. You can make it before you start chopping the other ingredients or use bottled sukiyaki sauce instead.

The sauce for this sukiyaki recipe is supposed to be quite strong because the cabbage, tofu and mushrooms release moisture as they cook. If it gets too concentrated though, I just add a splash of water.

How to Make Sukiyaki

Get everything chopped and arranged before you heat the skillet because the cooking itself goes quickly. Start with some of the beef, then add the sukiyaki sauce, tofu, cabbage, mushrooms and green onions. You can add more beef toward the end so the thin slices don’t spend too long simmering.

Serve the cooked ingredients with hot white rice and beaten pasteurized egg if you’re using it. When most of the food has been eaten, add the cooked udon to the sauce left in the pan and heat it through.

What is Sukiyaki?

Sukiyaki is a type of Japanese nabemono, or hot pot. Beef is the usual meat, accompanied by tofu, mushrooms, leafy vegetables and other ingredients cooked in a sweet soy-based seasoning. Across Japan, the ingredients and exact method vary according to region and family tradition.

Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu sometimes get confused because both involve thinly sliced meat and tabletop cooking. They taste very different, though. Shabu-shabu cooks the meat briefly in a mild broth before it’s dipped in sauce, while sukiyaki cooks everything in a much sweeter, more strongly seasoned liquid.

Kanto vs Kansai Sukiyaki

Kanto-style sukiyaki is associated with eastern Japan and uses a prepared seasoning mixture called warishita. The sauce goes into the pot and the other ingredients cook in it.

In Kansai-style sukiyaki, the beef is traditionally cooked first before sugar, soy sauce and other ingredients are added. The recipe below borrows the convenient prepared sauce from Kanto cooking while still giving the beef a quick fry at the beginning.

Tips for Beef Sukiyaki

• Buy the beef pre-sliced: Japanese and Asian grocery stores often sell sukiyaki beef or hot pot beef already sliced thinly.
• Prepare everything first: Cut the tofu and veggies and mix the sauce before heating the skillet.
• Don’t overcook the beef: The slices are very thin and cook fast, so add some of the beef later rather than leaving all of it in the sauce from the beginning.
• Keep the udon until last: Cook or heat the noodles separately, then add them to the remaining sukiyaki sauce when you’re ready for the final course.
• Don’t forget the trivet: Since you’re serving the sukiyaki straight from the cooking pot, set the hot pan on a trivet to protect the table.
• Adjust the sauce as you eat: Add a little water if it gets too salty or concentrated.

Substitutions and Variations

• Try a different meat: Use pork or chicken instead of beef if you like. Cook either one completely before eating.
• Use shirataki instead: If you like shirataki noodles, you can use them in the main hot pot instead. Prepare them according to the package instructions first.
• Swap the mushrooms: Try shiitake, enoki, shimeji or another Japanese mushroom you like.
• Add other vegetables: Carrot, bean sprouts and baby corn can all go into the pot. Chrysanthemum greens are another traditional choice if you can find them.
• Make it vegetarian: Leave out the beef, add more tofu and mushrooms and check that your bottled sauce doesn’t contain fish-based dashi.
• Skip the egg: Omit the dipping egg altogether if you don’t fancy it.

What to Serve with Sukiyaki

White rice is the usual choice and is all you really need on the side. Give each person a small bowl if you’re serving beaten egg for dipping, plus another bowl or plate for the cooked beef, tofu and vegetables they take from the pan.

Handy Equipment for a Sukiyaki Recipe

• Lodge 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet: Wide enough for the beef, tofu and vegetables and suitable for taking straight to the table.
• Kikuichi 8-Inch Chef’s Knife: A sharp knife makes quick work of the cabbage, mushrooms, tofu and green onions.
• OXO Good Grips Cutting Board Set: The 2-board set makes it easy to keep the raw beef separate from the vegetables during prep.

How to Store

• Refrigerate: Transfer cooled leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Keep any leftover udon separate if possible because it continues absorbing liquid in the refrigerator.
• Reheat: Reheat the beef, tofu, vegetables and sauce gently on the stove until steaming hot. Add the udon near the end.
• Freeze: I wouldn’t recommend freezing the complete dish because tofu and udon both change texture after thawing.
• Make ahead: Cut the vegetables and tofu and mix the sauce in advance. Keep the raw beef refrigerated separately until you’re ready to cook.

Sukiyaki Recipe FAQs

Making This Sukiyaki Recipe at Home

Sukiyaki looks like the sort of dinner that ought to involve a lot of work, but most of the effort is simply cutting everything up before you start. Once the pan’s hot, the thinly sliced beef, tofu and vegetables cook fast in the sauce. Then there’s the udon at the end. The whole thing is served family style at the table, so everyone can take what they like from the pot.

More Japanese Recipes

Another Japanese-inspired dinner idea is my sesame teriyaki chicken thighs. I also have a Japanese omuraisu recipe made with rice and egg, or this cold soba noodle salad if you want noodles without the hot pot.

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