HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! Here’s to 2010 being the best year yet — full of joy, good health, and lots n’ lots of delicious food! 
Since I had to work today, I decided to keep my NYE low-key by staying home in PJs, drinking champagne and watching all the celerations on TV.
On Wednesday night, my friend and I met up for dinner at Kozue , one of our favorite Japanese comfort food joints. My friend ordered sukiyaki – I had never tried it before so she let me have a taste of hers. HELLO, AMAZING! It has a nice sweet ‘n savory flavor profile…reminds me a little bit of bulgogi, a Korean-style BBQ beef dish I grew up eating.
Needless to say, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about sukiyaki after trying it. So I decided since I was staying in on NYE — and it was a crappy, cold, rainy night — it was a perfect opportunity to try making the dish at home. Luckily, it was super easy to make and it turned out fan-fricken-tastic — I think I might have even licked the bowl after haha!
Anyway, below is the recipe in case anyone else is itchin’ for some delicious sukiyaki — this recipe is adapted from Iron Chef Morimoto’s recipe on the Food Network website.
Sukiyaki Udon (Japanese beef hot pot w/ noodles)
Serves 4
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 12 oz thinly sliced beef (I was thrilled to find pre-sliced beef specifically for sukiyaki at Uwajimaya)
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup sake
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 8 oz firm tofu, diced into 1″ cubes
- 2 cups Napa cabbage, chopped
- 10-12 fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 cup scallions, chopped into 1″ diagnals
- 1 cup dashi stock (I made some on the stovetop by combining water with granulated bonito dashi)
- 2 bunches Japanese chrysanthemum leaves (or you can use watercress)
- 8 oz udon noodles
Preheat a large pan on med-low heat and add oil. Sear the slices of beef lightly. Meanwhile, combine the mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl until sugar dissolves; add this mixture to the beef and let simmer. Add the tofu, cabbage, mushrooms and scallions. Pour in the dashi. When the liquids come to a boil, add the chrysanthemum leaves and udon noodles. Cover the pan and let simmer until chrysanthemum leaves have wilted.
