W
ithallitscolourful
componentsand
perfectlypresented
toppings,sukiyaki
mightappearintimidatingtothe
averagecook.Yetthiswarming
Japaneseclassicis remarkablysimple,
comprisingvegetables,noodlesand
protein, allsimmeredina brothpacked
withumami.Namedaftertheterm
“sukimi”,whichmeansslicedmeat,
themulti-layereddishcanbecooked
intwodifferentways.TheKanto-style
ofeasternJapanseesingredients
addedtoa bubblingbroth,while
theKansai-styleofwesternJapan
requiresthebeeftobecooked
ina heatedpanfirst.Either
way,makingsukiyakiis a
deeplytherapeutic
experience.AzumainSydneyoptsforudonnoodles,aswellasyaki
tofu,shiitakemushrooms,bokchoyandspringonions;
therestaurantusesboththeKantoandKansaimethods
ofcooking.Melbourne’sKenzanservesa sukiyakimade
tableside, topped with marbled Japanese beef.Find
itBASE
Sukiyakicommonly
comprisesmirin,soysauce
andsugar,withsomerecipes
callingfordashitocreate
a broth.TheKantomethod
requiresingredientstobe
addedonebyonetoa
sukiyakipan;thecast-iron
panmaintainsmoreheat
thana regularpot,allowing
theliquidingredientsto
simmerdowntoa rich,
salty-sweetbase.MEAT
Whilesome
variationscallfor
pork,mostrecipes
insistonthinly
slicedbeefsirloin.
IntheKanto-style,
themeatis only
cookedbrieflyin
thebrothbefore
beingdippedinto
theeggyolks.VEGETABLES
Keytoppingsincludecabbage,
mushroomsandspringonion.
Chrysanthemumgreenscan
alsobethrownintothemix
foranextratouchofgreenery.NOODLES
Shirataki,longwhite
noodlesmadefromthe
rootofa konjacplant,
areusuallythenoodles
ofchoice.We’veused
thickersweetpotatoand
udonnoodlestobolster
ourversion.TOFU
Here,tofuis
lightlygrilled
beforebeing
throwninto
themix.
Recipes
typically
callfora
firmtofusuch
asmomen,
whichadds
tothedish’s
textural
composition.EGGYOLK
Fresheggyolksareusedasa dip
inwhicheachingredientis dunked
afterbeingcooked.Thesecanbe
whiskedorservedwhole.Ladle.Eat.Repeat.
Sukiyaki
48 GOURMET TRAVELLERAnatomy of a dish
WORDS GEORGIE MEREDITH. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER. STYLING LYNSEY FRYERS. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN.