Sukiyaki

Ingredients

• 600g beef sirloin or ribeye, sliced 2mm thin (sukiyaki cut)
• 1 block firm tofu (about 350g), preferably yaki-dofu
• 200g shirataki noodles
• 2 Japanese leeks or 3 large spring onions
• 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 bunch shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) or 200g spinach
• 1 small Chinese cabbage (about 400g)
• 1 small piece beef fat, or 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 100ml soy sauce
• 100ml mirin
• 50ml sake
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 100ml dashi or water
• 4 very fresh eggs
• 600g hot cooked short-grain rice

Before you cook

• Make the warishita by warming the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and dashi in a small pan until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool.
• Drain the tofu, press it under a plate for 10 minutes, then cut it into eight thick slabs.
• Rinse the shirataki under cold water, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes to remove their smell, then drain and cut them roughly in half.
• Cut the leeks on a steep diagonal into 3cm lengths.
• Trim the shiitake stems and cut a shallow cross in each cap.
• Cut the Chinese cabbage into 4cm pieces, keeping the thick white stems separate from the leafy tops.
• Wash the shungiku and cut it into 5cm lengths.
• Arrange the beef and all the vegetables on a large platter and set it beside the table.
• Crack one egg into a small bowl for each person and beat it lightly.

Steps

1. Set a heavy shallow cast-iron pan over a portable burner at the table and heat it over medium heat.
2. Rub the beef fat across the hot pan until it leaves a glossy film, or brush the pan with oil.
3. Lay three or four slices of beef flat in the pan and cook them for 20 seconds a side, until they just turn from red to brown.
4. Pour in a splash of warishita, about four tablespoons, so it hisses and glazes the meat.
5. Lift the beef out straight away, dip it in your bowl of beaten egg and eat it while the pan is still hot.
6. Add the leek, shiitake and the white cabbage stems to the pan and pour in enough warishita to come a third of the way up.
7. Let the vegetables simmer for 5 minutes, pressing the leek down into the liquid so it caramelises at the edges.
8. Tuck the tofu and shirataki into separate corners of the pan, keeping the shirataki away from the beef because it toughens meat.
9. Simmer for another 5 minutes, topping up with warishita and a splash of dashi whenever the pan looks dry.
10. Add a handful of shungiku and the cabbage leaves and cook for 90 seconds until they collapse.
11. Lay more beef over the simmering vegetables in small batches and cook each batch for under a minute.
12. Invite everyone to lift what they want, dip it in egg and eat it with rice, cooking more in the pan as it empties.
13. Taste the broth near the end and loosen it with a little dashi if it has reduced too sweet and salty.