Shabu Shabu Japanese Hot Pot Dish

Shabu Shabu is the Japanese version of fondue. Especially in winter during the holidays, when families gather together, it is a popular dish. This hot pot is also called “Nabe” in Japanese. In the following article, we’ll explain more about the different variations. “Shabu Shabu” comes from the sound you hear when you stir the meat and vegetables in a hot pot with chopsticks. It is prepared right at the table by the guests themselves. In the middle of the table there is a portable gas stove and on top of it a clay pot (“Donabe”). Inside is the delicious Dashi broth. The individual ingredients are cut into small pieces and placed on various plates all around. In addition, each guest has their own bowls with sauces at their place.

Is Shabu Shabu only eaten at home?

You can eat Shabu Shabu at home, or enjoy it in special restaurants. At home it is traditionally eaten during the holidays, but in restaurants you can find it all year round. Cooking at the table is fun, the preparation is quick and easy, and it’s also healthy. If you have never tried Shabu Shabu before, just give it a try. There is surely a restaurant near you where you can see how hotpot is traditionally served and made. By the way, there is also a chilled version of the soup served in summer: “Hiyashi Shabu”.

What do I need for Shabu Shabu?

To make authentic Shabu Shabu, you will need a small table gas stove. We can recommend this model from Amazon:

You will also need a Japanese clay pot (“Donabe”). This keeps the food especially warm, and it’s important that the broth always stays very hot. Alternatively, you can use a clay casserole dish or improvise with a large saucepan.

You’ll also need:

• A pair of chopsticks used by all guests for cooking and serving.
• Individual eating chopsticks and small sauce bowls for each guest.
• A skimmer to scoop off foam from the broth.
• A plate for each guest

And which ingredients do you need for Shabu Shabu?

Broth

Traditionally, Dashi broth is used for Shabu Shabu. If you want to make a vegetarian version, you can use Kombu Dashi. The broth is super quick to prepare and doesn’t even need to be boiled. In this post you’ll find more information about dashi and its different types.

Vegetables

As with many dishes, in Shabu Shabu: anything goes, as long as you like it. Vegetable types often used include the following:

• Chinese cabbage
• Spring onions (Negi)
• Carrots
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Enoki mushrooms
• Shimeji mushrooms

Meat

Buy high quality meat (e.g. rib eye) and slice it very thinly to make sure it cooks quickly. Meat types that go well with Shabu Shabu are

• Beef
• Pork

Tofu

Medium-firm tofu is best suited here.

Sauces

• Ponzu sauce
• Sesame sauce

Side dishes

• Udon noodles
• Pickled vegetables (Tsukemono)

How exactly do you eat Shabu Shabu?

First, prepare the broth. Simply put a piece of kombu in a pot filled with water. The seaweed automatically gives its flavor to the water. After a few minutes, remove the kombu and put the broth on the stove in the middle of the table. Bring the dashi to a simmer and arrange the raw meat and vegetables on plates next to it.

When everyone is sitting at the table, start adding each ingredient to the hot water using chopsticks. Add the harder vegetables first and the softer ones later. Then take the meat, dip it into the broth, and move it back and forth for a few seconds. After just a few seconds it’s cooked and ready to eat.

If any foam (“Aku”) has formed, skim it off with a ladle before taking the remaining ingredients out of the dashi broth and serving it to the guests. If needed, now is the time for more vegetables or udon noodles. After just one or two minutes, these are hot and ready to eat.

The noodles are served with Ponzu sauce. The meat and vegetables can be dipped into either of the sauces as you like and enjoyed.

Enjoy your meal!