Sukiyaki for the Soul

Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a Japanese dish in the Japanese hot pot style. Eastern hot pots are similar to stews and consist of a hot metal pot (hence hot pot) of water and seasonings at the center of a table. While the liquid inside the pot is simmering, ingredients are place into the hot water and are cooked right on the table. Sukiyaki sauce to be put into the pot is prepared specifically using soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sake or sake-like condiment). Some common ingredients are:

• Beef (required for a good beef sukiyaki)
• Tofu
• Chinese cabbage or other leafy vegetables
• Mushrooms
• Shirataki noodles or cellophane noodles
• Negi (a kind of scallion)

After the delicious ingredients are cooked to perfection with sukiyaki sauce in the pot, they are dipped in raw, beaten eggs for the finishing touch. Enjoy!

For more detailed instruction on making sukiyaki, visit this great website, which has many recipes for sukiyaki and other Japanese dishes:
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/beef/r/beefsukiyaki.htm

As that delicious sukiyaki is cooking, why not listen to a song also called sukiyaki. The song known as “Sukiyaki” in the English-speaking world is actually called “Ue o muite arukou” (上を向いて歩こう) in its original language, which means “Let’s walk with our chins up.” This popular Japanese song is renamed “Sukiyaki” by some U.S. musician after they have translated the lyrics to English. However, the song does not mention food in any form. The actually meaning of the Japanese lyrics is quite sad as the man (narrator of the song) “looks up as he walks so that the tears won’t fall.” For a full translation of the lyrics, visit The Hesitant Prize Fighter at http://tben.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/lyrics-of-ue-o-muite-aruko-or-i-look-up-when-i-walk-aka-sukiyaki/.

“Ue o muite arukou” (上を向いて歩こう) by Sakamoto Kyu (坂本 九)