One of my family’s favourite dinner menus is ‘Sukiyaki Don’. I often use minced Beef instead of thinly sliced Beef. Because it is easier as thinly sliced Beef is not commonly averrable where I live. This is a simple altered version of it. Tofu is the key ingredient. I always serve this dish with freshly cooked Rice.
Makes
4 Servings
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Oil
500g Lean Beef Mince
100-150g Shiitake *cut in half OR quarters if large, Shimeji can be used
450g Firm Tofu *torn or cut into small pieces
4 Spring Onions *cut into 4-5cm pieces
Sauce
1 small piece Ginger *grated
5 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Mirin
1/4 cup Sake (Rice Wine), Dashi Stock OR Water
Method
- Combine all the Sukiyaki Sauce ingredients. *Note: For children, use Dashi Stock or Water.
- Heat Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, cook Beef Mince. When it changes colour, add Shiitake and stir, then add the Sauce, and bring to the boil.
- Place Tofu Pieces and Spring Onion, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the Sauce is thickened. Stir to combine evenly. Enjoy with freshly cooked Rice.
- *Note: You can use medium firm Tofu such as ‘Momen’. As softer type Tofu contains more Water, you would end up having a lot of liquid in the pan. You would better reduce or omit the Sake (Rice Wine) (OR Dashi Stock, Water) to make the Sauce.
Comments
Vanessa
25/11/2025
Dear Hiroko,
I’m planning to cook your recipe today/tomorrow but I still have two questions left for clarity. I hope you don’t mind.
1) For the sauce: Do I only use Sake or Dashi – or would it also make sense to mix both (half amount of each)?
2) At which point do I add the fresh Shiitake? Do I add them whole or diced?
These might sound like stupid questions, but I’m really aiming/hoping to get the best result!
Thank you so much in advance!
Best from Berlin, Germany,
Vanessa
Hiroko
25/11/2025
Hi Vanessa. Thank you for your comment. I forgot to write when to add Shiitake, didn’t I? I will rewrite the method. You don’t need to cut Shiitake if small, but cut in half OR quarters if large. Sake (Rice Wine) OR Dashi? Of course you can use both, half amount each. You need to thin the sauce. You can add 2 tablespoons Sake and 2 tablespoons Water for example. I hope you enjoy this dish.
Vanessa
30/11/2025
Dear Hiroko, thank you so much for your help! I just made the dish and my belly is a very happy one! The Sukiyaki sauce fits so unbelievably well with the tofu! I’ll definitely also recommend it to my vegetarian/vegan friends! Hopefully I can bring the same joy to others by spreading the news or making it for my loved ones in the future. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes! Much love & a heartfelt ありがとうございます, Vanessa
Hiroko
30/11/2025
Thank you for such a positive feedback, Vanessa. I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish. I started this website to pass on my recipes to my children, but I’m happy to know there are people in the world trying to cook my recipes.
Vanessa
21/12/2025
I think it’s admirable, that you made this website for your children. My grandma used to be the only passionate cook in our family and when she passed away, a big part of my childhood went away with her too. I only took an interest in cooking in my twenties (she died when I was 16) and I never got over the fact, that so many of the dishes that defined my childhood are gone. I’ve tried several recipes off the internet, but I never managed to recreate it. This site is a blessing! I’m grateful, that – even though I’m just a stranger from another continent – I am allowed to expand my knowledge, my creativity and experience alongside your children. And not only that: The Japanese cuisine has very few similarities to Romanian cuisine, but it gives me the same sense of “home”, which is priceless.
Hiroko
22/12/2025
Vanessa, I thank you for this comment. I learned a lot of cooking from my mother by looking and helping her. She didn’t have written recipes, everything was in her head, so what I learned was in my head. I’m very proud of myself that I started writing down the recipes. My son and daughter are now at your age, Vanessa. They often use my recipes in this website. My son only recently started cooking, still has very limited cooking knowledge, but what he cooks actually taste same as I cook. After I was gone, they would be able to cook their favourite dishes, and they would think of me with fond memories.
Maria
8/03/2021
Hi Hiroko! I made this recipe yesterday and it was delicious and very easy. I will be making some kind of variation of this more often and look forward to trying your sukiyaki don next time! I follow a lot of Japanese food blogs but yours is my favourite thanks to all the original 家庭料理 style recipes. Thank you!
Hiroko
8/03/2021
Maria, thank you for your comment. Yes, please try Sukiyaki Don! My family love it particularly because of the Eggs. For me, it’s an easy-to-prepare dish. As you already know, a variety of vegetables can be added to it. Easy, Delicious and Nutritious!