Sukiyaki

1. Make the warishita sauce by combining the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a small saucepan, bringing it to a brief simmer to dissolve the sugar and cook off the alcohol, then set aside.
2. Prepare the vegetables by cutting the napa cabbage into wide pieces, slicing the green onions on a diagonal, trimming and scoring the shiitake caps, and cubing the tofu, then rinse and parboil the shirataki noodles for 2 minutes and drain.
3. Heat a heavy cast iron or shallow pot over medium-high heat, add the beef tallow, and sear a few slices of beef just until they change colour, about 30 to 45 seconds per side.
4. Pour in roughly half the sauce, then arrange the cabbage, green onions, shiitake, tofu and shirataki around the pan, keeping the spinach back for the end.
5. Simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes until the vegetables soften, adding more sauce and a splash of water as needed to keep the liquid balanced and not too salty.
6. Add the remaining beef and the spinach in the last 2 to 3 minutes, cooking these thin slices of whole-muscle beef through to an internal temperature of at least 63 C and just wilting the spinach.
7. For the traditional dipping egg, use pasteurized eggs to make the raw dip safe: crack each into an individual bowl and beat lightly, then let everyone pull hot pieces straight from the pot and dip them before eating, or skip the egg entirely if preferred, replenishing the pot as it empties.

You'll use: Saucepan · Pan · Large pot