Raw Egg Dipping Sauce Shabu Shabu Beef

"Sukiyaki" is one of the most popular forms of Japanese cuisine in Japan. It is a dish that exquisitely combines the well-matched flavors of savory meat with a salty-sweet dashi (broth). This article will introduce you to sukiyaki, with information on how to make it, the best way to eat it, and some of its special characteristics, as well as some of the best places to try sukiyaki in Tokyo. Please check it out!

What Is Sukiyaki?

"Sukiyaki" is a dish made by grilling and then boiling ingredients such as thinly sliced beef, spring onions, and tofu in a dashi known as "warishita" within an iron pot. Although there are various kinds of sukiyaki, such as "uosuki" made using fish, "kanisuki" made with crab, and Kansai-style sukiyaki that does not use warishita, this article will introduce the standard Kanto-style sukiyaki made with beef.

The first known record of sukiyaki is the appearance of the word "sugiyaki" in 1643. At the time, as beef was prohibited in Japan, it is assumed that this dish must have been made with ingredients like seafood. It is believed that the term "sukiyaki" was coined in 1801 when a farmer cooked ingredients like chicken on top of a "suki" or spade in English. The sukiyaki that we eat today, typically made with beef, has its origins in Kobe City of Hyogo Prefecture in the Kansai region. It is believed to have been created in the late Edo Period (around 1868) by the restaurant Kanmon Gekka-tei, which specialized in beef sukiyaki.

What Is the Difference Between Kansai-Style Sukiyaki and Kanto-Style Sukiyaki?

The Kanto region and the Kansai region make sukiyaki in different ways. To make Kanto-style sukiyaki, fill a pot with warishita made from ingredients like mirin (a kind of sweet cooking wine), soy sauce, sake (Japanese alcohol), and sugar, and bring it to a boil. Methods will vary between restaurants and households, but generally, once the dashi is boiling, you add your vegetables to the simmering stock to cook them through before adding the meat. The highlight of Kanto-style sukiyaki is the extra-rich taste that comes from the infusion of the flavors from the meat and vegetables in the warishita.

In contrast to this, with Kansai-style sukiyaki, you start by heating some beef fat in a pan, then fry the beef until it is about 80% cooked. Next, sprinkle the beef with sugar until it is just about covered, then finally, add soy sauce and sake to taste. With Kansai-style sukiyaki, you don't mix ingredients together to make warishita, and seasonings such as sugar and soy sauce are added in a different order. Lastly, you add in the vegetables and bring everything to a boil. The highlight of Kansai-style sukiyaki is just how well you can taste the beefy flavor, thanks to frying the beef in melted beef fat.

How to Make Kanto-Style Sukiyaki

So, let's look at how to make Kanto-style sukiyaki. First, cut your preferred vegetables into bite-size pieces. The recommended ingredients are beef, vegetables such as spring onions or Chinese cabbage, and mushrooms such as enoki or shiitake. In addition to this, shirataki⁠—konjac cut into long, thin noodle-like strips⁠—and grilled tofu are often used.

Shallow fry the cut meat, spring onions, and mushrooms until brown, then add the warishita, stirring constantly as you pour. The ingredients for the warishita are mirin, soy sauce, sake, and sugar. You should mix these together in advance. The salty-sweet flavor of the warishita plays a major part in making sukiyaki taste so good. When the warishita comes to a boil, reduce the heat, and add the other ingredients. When they are cooked through, the sukiyaki is ready. The sweet smell will really whet your appetite!

The Best Way to Eat Sukiyaki

With Kanto-style sukiyaki, once the ingredients have been fried and cooked in warishita or another kind of dashi, they are usually dipped in raw egg before eating. Dipping the warishita-infused ingredients into the raw egg gives them a mellow taste. In many countries, it is not common to eat raw egg, so some people may not be entirely comfortable with this, but it is worth giving it a try when you come to Japan.

When you have had enough sukiyaki, a good way to finish your meal is by adding udon noodles to the warishita. If you are eating at someone's house in Japan, they will usually use frozen or boiled dry noodles. When you eat at a restaurant, you may need to order the udon separately, so check with a staff member on whether it is part of the sukiyaki menu. The mixture of the warishita⁠—which has taken on the flavors of the cooked ingredients—and the udon noodles makes a fabulous end to the meal.

What Is the Difference Between Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu?

Another dish that uses beef in a similar way to sukiyaki is "shabu shabu," a dish where sliced meat is parboiled with vegetables. Like sukiyaki, the ingredients include thinly sliced meat, vegetables, and dashi, but the big difference is with the dashi flavor. The dashi for shabu shabu is made using milder-tasting ingredients such as kelp. There is also a difference in the way you eat it. With sukiyaki, the ingredients are simmered in the dashi, but with shabu shabu, each ingredient is separately dipped into the dashi to cook before eating.

Also, with shabu shabu, you do not dip the ingredients in raw egg before eating, but rather in condiments such as sesame sauce or ponzu (citrusy soy sauce). They are both famous Japanese hot pot dishes, but as the flavors and cooking methods are different, it is worth trying both if you have the chance!

Restaurants Where You Can Get Great Sukiyaki in Tokyo

Finally, here are some great restaurants where you can get sukiyaki in Tokyo. If you want to try the genuine article, let this be your guide!

1. Moritaya Tokyo Marunouchi Branch (Tokyo)

Moritaya Tokyo Marunouchi Branch is the Kanto branch of Moritaya, a long-established, famous Kyoto-based sukiyaki and shabu shabu restaurant. You should definitely try the Sukiyaki (from 7,000 JPY (plus tax)), made with select A5-grade Kuroge Wagyu beef. The restaurant directly manages every step of the beef production process, from the farm the cattle are raised in to the meat wholesalers, so you can rest assured of the quality of the beef. Moritaya is a great restaurant to try your sukiyaki Kansai-style.

Moritaya Tokyo Marunouchi Branch

Open: Lunch 11:00-15:00 (last order 14:00)

[Weekdays, Saturday] Dinner 17:00-23:00 (last order 21:30)

[Sunday, Holidays] Dinner 17:00-22:00 (last order 20:30)
Closed: None
Average price: -
Access: JR Sobu Line, JR Chuo Line, JR Yamanote line, JR Keihin-Tohoku Line / Tokyo Metro Marunouchi line 1 minute walk from Tokyo Station.
Address: Marunouchi Building 35F, Marunouchi 2-4-1, Chiyoda, Tokyo Map
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2. Ginza Koiku (Ginza)

At Ginza Koiku, you can try Sukiyaki (6,800 JPY) made with locally-sourced Kuroge Wagyu beef sirloin. All the ingredients are considered and balanced to create the perfect sukiyaki dish, from the best cuts of meat at just the right thickness to the exquisitely seasoned warishita and the perfect combination of vegetables. However, this extraordinary attention to detail is not so refined that it sacrifices the great natural taste of the ingredients. Enjoy top-class sukiyaki in relaxing surroundings!

Ginza Koiku

Open: [Weekdays] Lunch 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm (last entry 1:30 pm)

[Saturday, Sunday] Lunch 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (last entry 1:00 pm)

[Weekdays, Saturday] Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:30 pm (last entry 10:00 pm)

[Sunday] Dinner 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm (last entry 8:00 pm)
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 20,000 JPY / [Lunch] 10,000 JPY
Access: 6-minute walk from [Ginza Station] and [Hibiya Station] / 7-minute walk from [Shimbashi Station]
Address: 5F, Takaya Ginza Bldg., 7-2-8 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
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3. Gazan Garden (Kamiyacho)

At Gazan Garden, you can try sukiyaki made with Yonezawa beef, a Wagyu beef brand from Yamagata Prefecture. Their signature dish is the Salted Sukiyaki (9,500 JPY, can only be ordered for groups of 2+ people), an exquisite creation that allows you to enjoy your fill of delicious Yonezawa beef! You won't be able to get enough of the beef's notable sweetness and perfect marbling. The unusual saltiness also adds a unique depth to the dish.

Gazan Garden

Open: [Weekdays] Lunch 11:30-14:30 (last order 14:00), Dinner 17:30-00:00 (last order 23:00)

[Saturday, Holidays] Dinner 17:00-23:00 (last order 22:00)
Closed: Sundays
Average price: [Dinner] 12,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Access: Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, Roppongi Ichichome Station. Exit from the number 2 exit and turn left. Cross over and go left at the Iikura katamachi intersection.
Address: Ikura Hills 2F, Azabudai 3-5-5, Minato, Tokyo Map
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4. Ginza YonezawaGyu Oki (Ginza)

Ginza YonezawaGyu Oki is run by a long-standing Yonezawa beef butcher, established in 1923. The best option on the menu is the First-Rate Marbled Beef Sukiyaki (7,000 JPY (plus tax)) made with their secret miso sauce whose recipe has been handed down since the restaurant was first established. The combination of the melt-in-the-mouth Yonezawa beef, with its top-quality fat, and the fabulously rich miso sauce creates a taste that is second to none. Come and try this first-rate Yonezawa beef, carefully selected by true connoisseurs.

Ginza YonezawaGyu Oki

Open: [Weekdays, Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:30 pm)

[Weekdays] Dinner 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)

[Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays] Dinner 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)
Closed: Irregular

Average price: [Dinner] 10,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 107m from Ginza station, on Chuo Dori (Chuo Street), 12th floor of "i liv"
Address: 12F, iliv, 5-7-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
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5. Sukiyaki Kappo Yoshizawa (Ginza)

Sukiyaki Kappo Yoshizawa is well known as a butcher and wholesaler of high-grade Wagyu beef. You can try some of their discerningly selected meat in dishes such as sukiyaki and shabu shabu. You must try the Sukiyaki (from 6,000 JPY (plus tax)), made using top-quality meat with fat that just melts in your mouth. They are equally particular about the other ingredients, such as locally-sourced shirataki, homemade warishita, and fresh eggs bought straight from the farm.

Sukiyaki Kappo Yoshizawa

Open: Normal hours: 11:00-22:00, last order at 21:00 / Lunch: 11:00-15:00
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 14,000 JPY / [Lunch] 4,000 JPY
Access: Three minutes' walk from exit A12/13 of Ginza Station, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line. Two minutes' walk from exit A8 of Higashi-ginza Station, Toei Asakusa Line.
Address: 3-9-19 Ginza , Chuo-ku, Tokyo Map
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So, what do you think? Sukiyaki is one of the most loved dishes in Japan, so make sure you try it when you visit!

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.

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Source: https://savorjapan.com/contents/discover-oishii-japan/sukiyaki-recipe-how-to-eat-and-the-best-places-in-tokyo-to-try/