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.
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!