For the kombu dashi, soak 1 piece of kombu (dried kelp) in 2 cups of water for at least 30 minutes.
For the sauce, boil ½ cup of sake and ½ cup of mirin in a small saucepan for about 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons of sugar and ½ cup of soy sauce, bring back to a boil, and take off the heat once the sugar dissolves.
Rinse 100g of shirataki noodles, cut them in half, and drop them into boiling water. Cook for 2 minutes after the water returns to a boil, then drain.
Cut 340g of napa cabbage into bite-size pieces and 100g of shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) into 2in / 5cm lengths.
Cut the white part of 1 stalk of Tokyo negi (long green onion) diagonally into ½in / 1cm pieces. Thinly slice 45g of gobo (burdock root) and ½ onion.
Cut 130g of yaki dofu (broiled tofu) into pieces. Trim 100g of enoki mushrooms and tear them into small clusters, and trim 50g of maitake mushrooms and separate them into 2 clusters.
Heat a large, shallow pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, and pour in just enough sauce to cover the bottom. Sear 225g of thinly sliced beef chuck.
Add everything but the shungiku, plus 2 shiitake mushrooms, with enough sauce to partly submerge it and a little kombu dashi. Simmer gently until cooked through, adding the shungiku last.
