Ingredients

• 2 cups dashi stock (from dry dashi granules mixed with water is fine)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup sake
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 burdock root (or parsnip) or 2 carrots (or parsnip)
• 2 -3 chicken legs, including thigh (boned and cut into bite size pieces)
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half on angle
• 1 cake tofu, cut into 8 pieces (firm or regular)
• 1 cake Konnyaku, sliced very thinly
• 4 scallions, sliced on an angle into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 napa cabbage, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 bunches mitsuba, cut into 2 inch pieces or 4 cups Baby Spinach
• 1 lb fresh-frozen ramen noodles (save soup packets for other use) or 2 (8 ounce) packages ramen noodles, cooked (save soup packets for other use)

Instructions

1. To make the sukiyaki sauce:.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for about 1 minute and remove from heat and set aside.

3. To make sukiyaki:.

4. Scrape the peel off burdock. Cut the burdock like you are sharpening the end of a pencil to produce thin shavings or use a peeler and shave into 2 inch pieces. Soak the shavings in a bowl of water with a bit of vinegar (about 1-2 tsp) to stop the discoloration. Set aside.

5. Heat a large frying pan with at least 2 1/2 inch sides or use donabe (Japanese clay pot already treated previously) and add 2 T oil.

6. Add the burdock and chicken in separate and neat bunches and brown for 2 minutes. Add the shiitake, tofu, and konnyaku and cook for 2 minutes more. Again, keep all separate without mixing them together.

7. Pour in the sukiyaki soup stock just enough to cover halfway up the ingredients and spoon the sauce over all ingredients. Do not overfill and cover.

8. As soon as the liquid boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Uncover and add scallions, napa cabbage, and mitsuba or baby spinach and cook for about 2 minutes. Add more sukiyaki sauce and spoon the sauce over each ingredients often. Do not mix ingredients together and serve.

9. After most of the ingredients are consumed, bring the sauce to boil again and add the ramen noodles. Heat the noodles and serve in individual bowls.