Sukiyaki Kanto Kansai Style Differences

Ingredients

• Beef
• 600 g wagyu ribeye or sirloin, sliced paper-thin
• 30 g wagyu fat trimming, for seasoning the pan (Kansai)
• Vegetables & Aromatics
• 2 negi leeks, cut on the diagonal into 4 cm lengths
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 1 bunch shungiku chrysanthemum leaves, stems trimmed; added only at the end
• Tofu & Noodles
• 400 g yaki-dofu (grilled firm tofu), cut into large cubes
• 100 g harusame glass noodles, soaked in cold water until pliable
• 200 g konnyaku, torn into bite-sized pieces; blanched briefly
• For the warishita (Kanto broth)
• 120 ml soy sauce
• 120 ml mirin
• 120 ml sake
• 2 tbsp sugar
• For Kansai-style seasoning (applied at the pan)
• 2 tbsp sugar, sprinkled directly over seared beef
• 60 ml sake, added to the hot pan for steam
• 60 ml soy sauce, added directly after sake
• For dipping
• 4 eggs, raw; cracked into individual bowls and lightly beaten

Method

1. 1
   KANTO METHOD — Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat. This is the warishita. It is ready when the sugar is fully dissolved and the liquid is uniform. KANSAI METHOD — Heat the cast-iron nabe pot over high heat until very hot. Place the wagyu fat trimmings in the dry pan and render them, moving the fat across the cooking surface to season it fully. The pan is ready when the surface is evenly coated and lightly smoking.
2. 2
   KANTO METHOD — Pour the warishita into the seasoned pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer — never a vigorous boil. Add the yaki-dofu, konnyaku, negi, and shiitake. The pot is ready to receive beef when the broth simmers steadily and the vegetables have begun to absorb colour. KANSAI METHOD — Lay the first portions of paper-thin wagyu directly onto the dry, hot, fat-seasoned surface. Sear briefly. The beef is ready to season when its underside has coloured and fat begins to render visibly at the edges.
3. 3
   KANSAI METHOD ONLY — This is where the dish lives or dies: sprinkle sugar directly over the seared beef, pour sake into the hot pan to generate steam, then add soy sauce directly. The liquid builds from the meat's own juices and these additions — not from pre-made broth. The seasoning is correct when the pan holds a small pool of glossy, dark, sweet-savoury liquid and the beef is just cooked through. Do not allow the pan to boil dry; the cast-iron surface must remain partially exposed.
4. 4
   Add the soaked harusame noodles to whichever style is being prepared. In Kanto, submerge them in the simmering warishita; in Kansai, nestle them into the pan liquid. They are ready when they have turned fully translucent and absorbed the surrounding liquid.
5. 5
   KANTO — Add successive small batches of beef to the simmering warishita. Do not overload the pan: too many pieces cause steaming rather than poaching. Each batch is done when the beef has just lost its raw colour and remains tender. As the broth reduces and concentrates through the meal, adjust with additional sake to maintain balance. KANSAI — Continue adding beef in batches, searing and seasoning each batch individually. The cast-iron surface between pieces must remain exposed.
6. 6
   Add the shungiku chrysanthemum leaves at the very end of the meal, not at the beginning. They are done in seconds — as soon as the leaves wilt and turn bright green. Their slightly bitter flavour cuts through the accumulated richness of the broth and fat.
7. 7
   Each diner cracks one raw egg into a small bowl and beats it lightly. Every piece of beef and vegetable is lifted from the pot, dipped briefly into the raw egg, and eaten immediately. The heat of the cooked piece sets the egg surface on contact, tempering the heat of the beef and adding a layer of richness. The dipping egg is the correct consistency when it coats the piece without running off entirely.