Ingredients

Sirlion beef, cut into very thin escalopes (a little thicker than carpaccio but thinner than minute steak). If you can get wagyu beef, all the better.

Mushrooms (Japanese varieties if possible)

Spring onions and any other vegetables you fancy - cabbage is good.

Beef suet

Sugar

Water or beef stock

Sake

Soy

Mirin

Some eggs for dipping

Method

This is usually made communally around a cast-iron skillet over a charcoal fire built into the centre of a table, but you can make it in a thick-bottomed pan.

Melt some beef fat in the pan, add the sugar and cook until it begins to caramelise. Pour in the water, sake and soy - roughly the same amount of each (around 100ml ought to do it), and then a half quantity of mirin. Heat through, mixing well.

Keep cooking until it thickens nicely. If it gets too thick, just add a little more water. Add the slices of beef one by one. They will take seconds to cook rather than minutes.

In between slices of beef, fry the tofu and vegetables. Dip in raw egg, lightly beaten. Depending on where you are in Japan, they might fry the beef and make the sauce separately to dip in, but I prefer this way with a separate coating of fresh, raw egg for a truly silky and sumptuous mouth feel.

Times Recommends

• 21 top tips for Christmas
• Chocolate and chestnut souffle cake
• Rabbit and oysters — feasts of Christmas past