Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki すき焼き, favorite Japanese dish for a special occasion. This is a nabemono, a sort of  fondue or stew, prepared in a single container and placed in the middle of the table, it is usually served in winter and during family meals.

Sukiyaki is a recipe created when Western culture was introduced in Japan. Traditionally there were virtually no Japanese custom of eating meat mammalian. Especially during the Edo period. This new custom was transmitted by the first Western residents, from the opening of the port of Yokohama in 1859. It seems that the first sukiyaki restaurant, Isekuma, was opened in Yokohama in 1862.

It is a recipe comprising essentially thin slices of beef, roasted and cooked in a pot with a flat bottom, many other ingredients may be added such as shiitake mushrooms or enokitake, the shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves), the shirataki noodles konjac, Chinese cabbage and tofu.

Preparation and variants:

The recipe for sukiyaki is different between the region of Kanto (Tokyo) and Kansai region (Osaka). 

• Sukiyaki in Kanto. First a mixture of flavorings and sauces is prepared with soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sake etc. (warishita), and other ingredients are cooked in the mixed liquid.
• Sukiyaki in Kansai. First slices of meat are grilled at the bottom of the pot, season with sugar and soy sauce, then add vegetables. When there are more than some liquid. Moreover, in Tokyo and Osaka, sukiyaki is served with a raw egg for each.

Gintama episode 25