Shabu Shabu
Shabu shabu, which means “swish swish” in Japanese, is named for the sound the ingredients make when they’re cooking. This warm and festive style of Japanese hot pot is meant to be shared with family and friends, cooked and served tableside in a donabe over a portable gas stove. A beautiful variety of vegetables and beef or pork are sliced so they can quickly poach in the mild kombu, or dried kelp, broth. (Sometimes, the kombu is paired with a bonito dashi.) If you don’t have a donabe, a Dutch oven or similarly sized pot will do; the portable burner is a must, though. Use this recipe as a guide, and select the ingredients you like from each category. A trip to a Japanese or Asian market will take care of the shopping, but many of the ingredients here are available at standard grocery stores. Once everything has been prepped, all that is left is to gather around and cook together.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 1ounce kombu
- 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- White pepper, to taste
- 8ounces frozen or fresh udon noodles, or 3 ounces dried udon noodles
- Sesame or vegetable oil, for drizzling
- 1pound well-marbled, thinly sliced chuck, rib-eye or wagyu beef, or pork loin, or a combination thawed if frozen (see Tip)
- ½medium head Napa cabbage, core removed, sliced into 1-inch pieces, thick and thin stems separated
- 8baby bok choy (about 8 ounces), cut in half lengthwise
- ½bunch chrysanthemum greens, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
- 2large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 6shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
- 2(7-ounce) packages enoki mushrooms, roots removed, separated into clusters
- 1(4- to 5-ounce) package bunashimeji (beech) mushrooms, roots removed, separated into clusters
- 18slices poached lotus roots, thawed if frozen
- 8ounces snow peas, trimmed
- 1(8-ounce) can baby corn, drained
- 1negi (Japanese long onion), white parts only, sliced on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1leek, white part only, cut 1/2-inch rounds
- 1pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2scallions, thinly sliced
- Ponzu sauce
- Sesame sauce
- Steamed white rice (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
Make the dashi: Add 8 cups cold water to a large (3 1/2-quart/3-liter) donabe, or similarly sized Dutch oven or pot. Add the kombu to the water and soak for 30 minutes.Step 2
Prepare the udon: Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high. Add the udon noodles and cook according to package directions, until they separate and are pleasantly chewy. Remove the noodles into a colander, quickly rinse with cold water and set aside to drain. Transfer to a medium bowl and drizzle with a little sesame oil so they don’t stick together.Step 3
Set the table: Arrange the meats, vegetables and tofu on three separate large platters. Place the sliced scallion in a small bowl. Transfer the cooked udon to a medium bowl or platter. If serving rice, divide into individual bowls. Set out two medium-sized bowls per person, and pour the sauces into each. Scatter the sliced scallions on your dipping bowl, as you like. Make sure there are small tongs for the ingredients near the platters, as well as chopsticks at each place setting.Step 4
Cook the shabu shabu: Place the donabe, filled with the dashi, on a portable stove set in the middle of the table. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high. As soon as it’s boiling, remove the kombu (otherwise, the broth will become murky and slimy). Stir in 1 tablespoon salt until dissolved and season with white pepper, to taste. First, add the ingredients that need a longer time to cook, like thicker stems of cabbage, bok choy, carrots, mushrooms, lotus roots and negi. Cover and simmer, maintaining a boil, for 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and tofu, if using. Continue boiling until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.Step 5
Remove the lid and have everyone cook their own pieces of meat by using tongs or a clean set of chopsticks. Submerge the meat in the broth and swish it around until no longer pink, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dip the cooked meat in the ponzu or sesame sauces, or both, and eat. Dip the vegetables in the sauces as well, alternating as you wish in between the meat. If serving the shabu shabu with rice, dip the meat, vegetables and tofu in the sauces and place them on top of the rice, allowing the juices to flavor it before eating.Step 6
Once most of the ingredients have been eaten, add the udon noodles to the broth to reheat for a couple of minutes. Ladle some of the broth into the sauce bowls, transfer the reheated noodles to the bowl and eat. If you have any leftover ingredients, cook them in the remaining broth, cover and cool, transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pot over medium on the stovetop, until it comes to a boil.