Asian supermarkets sell presliced beef, but it’s easy to make your own hot-pot slices at home: Trim a tender steak such as strip or rib eye, freeze it for an hour, then slice thinly with a sharp knife.

Many vegetables are good in sukiyaki; those below are just what I had on hand. Try any kind of fresh or dried mushrooms, daikon, chard or other greens, celery, or peppers.

Cooking the beef at the table is optional. If you want to skip it, just add all the beef in step 3, turn the heat off once it’s cooked, and omit the egg.

If you want more broth, simply double the amounts of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.

This recipe was adapted from Noodle, by Terry Durack.

Steps

1. Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the turnips and cook 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove with a skimmer. Add the noodles and cook 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and toss with the peanut oil.
3. Crack the eggs into four small bowls, beat gently, and place on the dining table.
4. In an electric skillet, heat the lard over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and scallions and cook, stirring, until the cabbage is beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add the noodles, tofu, turnips, and sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Diners can ladle noodles and vegetables into their soup bowls and cook pieces of beef hot-pot style in the center of the table, dipping each slice of beef into the raw egg before eating.