Sukiyaki Myth
1. It's a stew.
2. All the ingredients are all served at the same time in one big bowl in a simmering broth.
3. any beef can be used just as long as its sliced thinly
I love sukiyaki. It's always been one of my favorite Japanese dishes. It's nice sweet broth is very pleasant and comforting. The leeks, carrots and radish is ok. compliments the broth. The thinly sized beef is also very good. Combined into one big stew it provides a very hearty and rustic meal.
I've been to Japan a few times before when I was younger. I wasn't a chef yet and my understanding of food wasn't that refined yet. But I think i already had a heightened sense of food appreciation. We ate in a sukiyaki in which they prepared sukiyaki table side style. It was worlds apart from the sukiyaki I had here in Manila. I never forgot that.
In my recent trip to Japan, I made sure that I would have that unique sukiyaki experience again.
I went to Imahan at the 14th Floor of the Takashimaya Bldg at Shinjuku.
Imahan Sukiyaki Restaurant. A decades old restaurant that specializes in "nabe" dishes or soup/hotpot dishes.
Sukiyaki done in Manila and done in Imahan has some similarities. The vegetables and condiments we use are the same. Leeks, carrots, vermicelli and silken tofu. Nothing astonishing about that.
Thats where the similarities end. The method and recipe is really different.
Beef served in this resturant are high-quality Kobe/Wagyu beef. Probably not A5 but the marbling is still exceptional. Marbling is what makes the beef flavorful. The beefs flavor and it's "melts in your mouth" texture is what makes it above all the local beef that is served here. Local Filipino beef has no marbling at all. And that makes the world of difference.
They don't serve the sukiyaki all cooked at once and in one bowl. All the ingredients are served raw. They dont use a broth but use a poaching liquid. I'm sure its soy and sugar based. It's slightly syrupy. they don't use a lot of it. Just enough to cook the beef. To prevent thickening and scorching, they add a little water in order not to burn the sugars in the liquid. Timing is very essential. Too much water too early kills the syrupy flavor, while adding not enough liquid into the almost burned syrup will make the liquid bitter.
First step is that they pour just enough liquid into the shallow pan to "just" immerse the beef in liquid. Take note, not completely submerged. Just enough liquid to cook the beef. Similar to pan frying if using oil.
Second step, the beef is simmered in the broth and is taken out the millisecond that the last pink coloration of raw meat is done. Never overcooked! Just done perfectly. The cooked beef is still succulent and is coated with that nice sweet syrupy liquid. Then is dipped into a raw beaten egg. To all westerners, this is a salmonella and e.coli double red flag so you can skip this step. I didn't and it was worth it. eggs add another dimension into the meat.
The same cooking method is also done with the vegetables. They are never left too long in the simmering broth. Just cooked enough but still retaining its fresh flavor.
Food Truths
1. It is cooked in just enough liquid. It is not left in the broth to disintegrate or be overcooked.
2. All of the ingredients are not overcooked. Cooked only until its just right. Vegetables are removed form the broth just as soon as its done right.
3. Beef makes all the difference.
4. It is not a stew. The broth is only the medium to cook the meat and the vegetables. They are removed right away and eaten instantly.
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