The World's Best Sukiyaki

Song:  Asturias

Artist:  John Williams

Now...

first off...

I know it must sound arrogant to claim that 

my sukiyaki is the best in the world.

And...

yes...

I am...

in fact...

slightly arrogant...

but that is besides the point!  :)

It is the world's best because you will be tailor fitting the broth to your taste.

I have tried many sukiyaki dishes...

both in America...

and in Japan.

They differ slightly...

yet...

up until this night...

the best I had ever had was in a restaurant I used to frequent in Osaka, Japan.

However...

when I ate my dish on this night...

it became my favorite.  

It is the best sukiyaki I have ever had...

only because I had flavored the broth to my taste...

just as you shall.

I will explain later.

Shiitake mushrooms...

the most flavorful mushrooms I have ever eaten.

These mushrooms are an absolute necessity for Japanese cooking.

They often come in large packets...

dried.

All you do is to soak them in water in a large bowl...

for one hour

(save the water...it will be used as stock for the broth).

This is Konnyaku.

It is made from a plant called the Kanjac plant.

It is also called konnyaku potato.

You may get it in slabs...or in thin noodles.

I prefer the noodles...

but my younger sister had picked up the ingredients today...

so.

I prefer to quarter the shiitake into strips.

If you have the slab konnyaku...

slice them about 1/3 of an inch wide...

and then...

make a medial incision about 1/2 inch from each end.

(My younger sister modeling here)

You will then take one end and put it through the incision.

This is the result.

Quarter one whole white onion...

and then cut them into 1/4 inch slices.

Another great mushroom is Enoki.

You will need to slice off a good portion of the bottom of the enoki stalks.

Then rinse them and place them into a bowl of water.

One bunch of Napa Cabbage....

sliced into 1/2 inch pieces will do.

You will then cube 1 - 2 tubs of tofu...

and place them into a bowl.

Very thinly sliced 1 - 3 lbs. of beef will do

(you may make this a vegetable or meat heavy meal).

This is a two large skillet meal.

First...

brown the meat

(you will be cooking the whole dish on medium heat).

You will then add all of the other ingredients.

Remember to add all of the shiitake water.

Now...

for the all important broth.

Other than the shiitake water...

the four main flavors for this dish comes from:

Sake - This has the traditional sake flavor.

I favor the unfiltered sake. 

It has a wonderful rice aroma and flavor.

Mirin - This is a rice wine vinegar.

This adds the slightly tart taste.

Memmi - This has the soy sauce taste...

with some light fish stock.

Sugar - to add the sweetness.

I used 1/4 cup of sugar per pan.

I like my sukiyaki with a sweet flavor to the broth.

The broth should almost completely cover the ingredients...

however...

you must remember that as the vegetables cook...

they will add to the volume of liquid.

Cook covered.

The broth should be slightly bubbling on medium high heat.

You will know when the dish is ready when the onions turn translucent.

And there it is...

the world's best sukiyaki...

because as you cook...

you will be adding the additional flavors you particularly like.

Just remember the four ingredients which flavor the broth.

This dish is very nutritious and delicious.

Just have rice and your favorite pickles on the side

(this night's meal had sliced pickled daikon on the side).

Again...

you may tailor fit this dish to your palate by adding more of the meat or vegetables...

as well as adding more of the ingredients for the broth.

It is also very good for a later meal.