Sukiyaki

We invited a friend over for dinner on saturday night, and initially I was thinking of making it a Japanese night with eel fried rice, takoyaki, japanese coleslaw salad, and slow cooked pork belly. But another dear friend of mine, Sera who just came back from HK for a short visit wanted to go for a coffee in the arvo, and therefore disturbed my plan of doing this 3hr of slow cooked pork belly. (Sera... I'm not blaming you... =P) So instead, I had to think of something quick to cook, knowing that by the time I come back home, it would be late...

*ding* 

Sukiyaki!!!! Quick and easy, no cooking required but yet still fitted in the japanese night idea! Also, what's better than a hotpot in a cold winter/autumn night!!! 

Chinese cabbage, white raddish, tofu, assorted mushrooms, seafood stick, udon, prawns, and most importantly beef! I love the beef in the Korean butcher, they are evenly marbled and full of flavour. Definitely better than the sliced beef you get from the chinese butcher or grocery! 

Besides the beef, the next important ingredient in a sukiyaki is the soup base! I don't normally buy those ready mixed bottle of sukiyaki sauce, because I've found them too expensive, you pay something like $5-$6 for a small bottle. And I can easily make it with just a fraction of the cost, since I have got all those ingredients at home anyway. If any of you want to save some $$, here's the mix: 500ml dashi, 125ml Japanese soy sauce, 80ml mirin, 1.5 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp sugar. Just bring everything to boil, and there's your soup base! 

Sukiyaki + Sapporo Beer = perfect match on a cold saturday night!