Once a year, Tacoma temple cooks hundreds of this hard-to-find Japanese hot pot
Since the 1960s, members of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple have gathered in their basement kitchen on Fawcett Avenue to prepare hundreds of individual pots of sukiyaki, one of Japan’s go-to one-pot dishes. The annual fundraiser returns May 7.
A $20 pre-order gets you a bowl of homemade beef and tofu sukiyaki — cooked to-order in individual pots with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar — served with a side of rice. Cut the rich broth with tsukemono (pickled vegetables). For dessert, volunteers bake mochi cupcakes with sweet red-bean paste.
The sukiyaki lunch is one of the temple’s biggest fundraisers, with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit.
Usually, the public is invited to enjoy the meal on-site, adding sides of teriyaki and miso soup, as was the case in 2020. Even then, about half of the orders left in takeout boxes.
Last year, the temple switched to a takeout-only model and in planning months ago, decided to go that route for 2023.
“If we knew then what we knew now, we probably would have held an in-person event,” said temple president John Inge. Pointing to the 70th anniversary, he added, “It was important to hold the event, even if it is drive-thru only.” (He anticipates a return to in-person next year.)
By April 26, order and pay for your combo meals online, select a May 7 pickup time (every 30 minutes, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.), and head to 1717 Fawcett Ave., entering from South 19th Street.
Sukiyaki is considered a contemporary addition to Japanese cuisine, introduced in the middle of the 19th century after the proliferation of Buddhism had stifled consumption of sacred animals like cattle. Kyoto became the de-facto home of gyu-nabe, or beef pot. In the neighboring region of Kansai, a different style was born, one that incorporated a dashi broth. By the mid-20th century, the two styles had merged into a new dish known as sukiyaki, which translates simply to thinly sliced meat.
Key to the dish is the final step of dipping the sukiyaki — the beef itself — in an egg wash.
What makes Tacoma Buddhist Temple’s sukiyaki specialty worth your time is, in part, the dish’s scarcity. It’s an unusual find on Japanese restaurant menus in the United States, “given the more involved preparation,” said Inge.
After picking up your sukiyaki lunch May 7, you can try it regularly at Fujiya Japanese downtown, Sushi Tama in Central Tacoma and Sapporo & Sushi in Fife, where you can choose beef, chicken or tofu.
TACOMA BUDDHIST TEMPLE - SUKIYAKI LUNCH
▪ Order by April 26 online at tacomabt.org, or email info@tacomabt.org
▪ Pick up at drive-thru May 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
▪ $20 meal includes sukiyaki, rice, pickles and mochi cupcake
