Now, don't use the words 'good luck' -- this is blessed food. This is a
heavenly dish. This is the real deal. ~ Judy Jones
We could all use a little luck from time to time, to land a new job, get a date, or win the lottery. It's no coincidence that one of the luckiest dishes I know also helped me land my husband!
My family was first introduced to sukiyaki in the 1970s when my parents befriend a Japanese couple doing graduate work at Indiana University. Fumiko was known for making great feasts for our family in return for my mother working with her on her English. It remained one of my favorites so much so that when I met a man who liked to cook, I offered to make it for an upcoming gathering at his house. That turned out to be our first “date” and we are now married!
Foods of Interest
Try these foods to help amplify your luck. The Chinese eat abalone for good fortune which I think is another form of luck. But if you really want Chinese luck eat cabbage. It's said to bring 100 types of prosperity. Chicken is also considered very lucky in many Asian cultures. Add dumplings, bean curd (ie tofu) or glass noodles and you can't lose! For never-ending luck eat figs or grow a fig plant. Egyptian priests bit into a ripe fig at the end of important ceremonies to help bring luck to whatever they were sanctifying.
Recipe
My family was first introduced to sukiyaki in the 1970s when my parents befriend a Japanese couple doing graduate work at Indiana University. Fumiko was known for making great feasts for our family in return for my mother working with her on her English. It remained one of my favorites so much so that when I met a man who liked to cook, I offered to make it for an upcoming gathering at his house. That turned out to be our first “date” and we are now married!
Foods of Interest
Try these foods to help amplify your luck. The Chinese eat abalone for good fortune which I think is another form of luck. But if you really want Chinese luck eat cabbage. It's said to bring 100 types of prosperity. Chicken is also considered very lucky in many Asian cultures. Add dumplings, bean curd (ie tofu) or glass noodles and you can't lose! For never-ending luck eat figs or grow a fig plant. Egyptian priests bit into a ripe fig at the end of important ceremonies to help bring luck to whatever they were sanctifying.
Recipe
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| Sukiyaki photo by Erika Celeste |
Thinly sliced chicken ½ lb per person
Green onion
Fresh sliced mushrooms
Broccoli (florets)
Cabbage shredded
White onion
Tofu (cubed)
Glass noodles (bean threads)
3 T Vegetable oil
2/3 C Soy sauce
1/3 C Sugar
¼ water
Directions:
This works best in an electric frying pan so that you can do
it on the table in front of your guests. However, a wok or even large frying
pan on the stove will work too. Make sure to cut all the vegetables to bite
size pieces before you start. Once it gets going it is a quick process and
should be served immediately following while everything is still hot.
Mix soy sauce, water, and sugar until the sugar is
completely dissolved. It should have a sweet and salty taste. It will be quite
thin and liquidy as it is somewhat of a steam-type dish.
Heat the electric frying pan to high. Add the 3 tablespoons
of cooking oil. Brown the meat first. When it is browned pour a spoonful or two
of the sauce over the meat. Make sure it is coated well and push the meat off
to the side. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the vegetables two or three at a
time. However, make sure to keep them in their own small piles. Pour sauce over
them and let them steam, keeping them as separate as possible until all
ingredients are cooked and in their own little corners. If there is any more
sauce left over when everything is added, pour the rest into the electric
skillet. The idea is a little bit like dim sum in that you’re taking little
bits of different foods and sampling all the different flavors with the
sukiyaki. Nothing should take very long to cook. Like Italian pasta you want
the vegetables more dente.
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