Tender slices of marbled steak, shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage and sweet potatoes over purple glass noodles drenched in sweet and salty rice wine broth.
I first tasted beef sukiyaki when I was eight years old while touring Japan as a young violinist. Tokyo, Matsumoto and Kyoto. Every city we visited, every restaurant had this amazing dish with tender beef slices, glass noodles and savory broth. Some of the ingredients, like mushrooms and other drop ins, varied by location. But I could count on the familiar sweet soy broth every time.
My Lectin Free Gourmet version has a few more delectable vegetables and some swaps to make the broth P-dox compliant. But what's really amazing about this dish are the glass noodles. Traditionally, glass noodles (a.k.a cellophane noodles or bean threads) are made from mung beans, which are a legume. On a trip to my local Asian market, I discovered a purple glass noodle made from sweet potato starch and purple sweet potatoes. They're delicious, just like the glass noodles I remember. Read on for the full recipe.
The Recipe
Serves 2
Beef Sukiyaki
1 8 oz Well-marbled Grassfed Steak
1 Clove Garlic minced
1 C Shiitake Mushrooms sliced
4 Broccolini Spears
2 Green Onions
1 Sweet Potato
6 Napa Cabbage Leaves
2 Cups Raw Spinach Leaves
1 Package Purple Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
Sesame Oil
Broth
1/3 C Coconut Aminos
2 T Monk Fruit Sweetener
1/4 Shao Xing Rice Wine
1 C Water
1 t Salt
Instructions:
Coax 1/3 of the glass noodles into a pot of boiling water, careful not to snap them. Let the water soften them until they are all in. I had to soak the noodles longer than the package instructed, about 20 minutes, to get the results I desired. While noodles are soaking, prepare all your drop ins and stage them on a plate. Slice the steak as thin as you can. Slice the mushrooms if they're not already. Slice the green onions, Slice the sweet potato about 1/10 inch thick. Cut about 1 inch off the ends of the broccolini. Trim stems of spinach. Cut a bit of the white core off each napa cabbage leaf. Set the plate of drop ins aside.
In a small bowl, add all the sauce ingredients and whisk until monk fruit is dissolved. In a Dutch oven (I like Le Creuset), heat 1 T sesame oil on medium heat. Add minced garlic and beef. Brown both sides of meat. Add about half the broth. Drop in sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Keeping them separate from each other and the beef. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Drop in the broccolini in a separate part of the pot and cook covered another 3 minutes.
By this time your noodles should be glassy and ready to take out of the hot water. Drain and toss in 1/2 T sesame oil. Divide the glass noodles into two serving bowls or soup plates. Tuck 3 napa cabbage leaves under the noodles to one side of the bowl. Place a handful of spinach on the opposite side of a the bowl. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the beef and place in the center on top of noodles. Remove the rest of the cooked drop ins and arrange in your bowls. Now, add the rest of the broth to the pot and turn up to high heat. Bring to boil and drop in sliced green onions. Boil for about one minute until they are bright green. Turn off heat. Scoop out the green onions and place them in the bowls. Finally, ladle the broth into the bowls.
Pairs with Japanese whiskey. Kanpai!
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