- 7 hours ago
Shabu shabu is a Japanese hot pot dish that cooks thinly sliced beef, vegetables, tofu, and noodles quickly in a light simmering broth. This home version focuses on a simple kombu-based broth served with homemade dipping sauces such as bright ponzu and creamy sesame sauce for a balanced mix of acidity, nuttiness, and umami. The beef is swished briefly in the hot broth so it stays tender, while napa cabbage, mushrooms, green onion, tofu, carrots, and noodles add sweetness, texture, and comfort to the pot. As the ingredients cook, each bite can be dipped into sauce for extra flavor without making the meal feel heavy. The final shabu shabu is warm, interactive, and satisfying, making it an easy Japanese dinner to enjoy at home with fresh ingredients and rich homemade sauces.
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00:00Keep it in beef, a steaming pot and a 3 second swish, ponzu and creamy sesame and your chopsticks
00:06won't stop. Ready to build your hot pot? Printable version of this recipe is available on my website,
00:14simply google shabu shabu stachi to grab yours. Let's start by soaking about 5 to 10 grams of
00:20dried kombu kelp in 1 liter of water. This is the subtle foundation of a shabu shabu broth.
00:27You can soak this for as little as 30 minutes. While that kombu rehydrates, we'll set ourselves
00:34up properly. Wash, cut and arrange everything on plates or trays so it can go straight to the table.
00:42Prepping is everything for shabu shabu to be honest. My version serves 4 and we're using
00:48200 grams of napa cabbage, 100 grams of shunriku, 50 grams of carrot, 100 grams of bean sprouts,
00:563 shiitake mushrooms and 100 grams of enoki mushrooms. The carrots are our only tricky ingredient
01:05here because they take longer to cook so we'll need to slice them really thin. Everything else
01:11just gets cut into bite-sized pieces or left whole. We've also got optional 50 grams thin glass noodles,
01:19cooked udon of 200 grams and optional toasted kirimochi rice cakes, 2 to 4 pieces.
01:27Now before you panic, you absolutely do not need to get all these. The quantities I'm using are just
01:33estimates and those udon and mochi are completely optional. Adjust the amounts based on how many people
01:40you're serving. Swap ingredients based on what's available at your market. Mix and match however you like.
01:47For the glass noodles, ideally choose ones that cook really fast because the whole point is to swish
01:54them through bubbling broth and lift them right back out. Mine today are a bit thick so they need
02:00to be parboiled beforehand. Next, let's cube up our firm tofu, about 100 grams worth. Doesn't have to be firm
02:10if you prefer silken. And if you're doing finishing noodles like udon soba or kishimen, have them
02:17partially cooked ahead of time or simply use the frozen type so they're ready to warm through at the end.
02:25Now let's talk about the start of the show, the meat. Take your meat out of the fridge about 20
02:31minutes
02:31before cooking. Speaking of meat, while we're most often used beef today, in particular regions, people
02:39use thinnest rice pork too. In a survey, it came in at 43.8%. That's the closest split than you
02:47might expect.
02:48In my area, beef is almost always a norm. If you're using beef, you've got some excellent cut options.
02:56Chakai roll, rib eye roll, sirloin, bottom round. All sliced into 1-2mm, basically paper thin,
03:06even thinner than sukiyaki cuts. This is my chakai roll that I got from a local butcher. It's so fragile.
03:13But it doesn't stop there. Yellowtail is incredibly popular too. We call it burishabu. You use thinly
03:21sliced sashimi grade, yellowtail, and it's absolutely divine. Now, normally I wouldn't do this, but since
03:29I want to show you all the options, I've got beef, pork, and yellowtail all ready to go. About 400
03:36grams in total. Oh, and just so you know, Hokkaido also has lamb shabu shabu, but that's for some other
03:42time. Now, let's make our dipping sauces. Shabu shabu isn't complete without two essential dipping
03:49sauces. Creamy sesame and tangy ponzu. The Japanese way is to enjoy both, not choose one over the other,
03:56but realistically, you can at home. For the sesame sauce, we'll mix two tablespoons of sesame paste
04:03with one tablespoon of soy sauce, two tablespoons of rice vinegar, half tablespoon of miso paste,
04:09two tablespoons of sugar. Mix it until it's completely smooth and creamy. It seems very rich
04:16and a lot at this point, but remember, as you dip the meat straight from the pot,
04:21it will get watered down all the time, so we need some extra to add as we go.
04:27For the ponzu, you can use store-boiled, but if you're interested in making your own, you can.
04:34Now, divide these sauces so each person has two individual bowls, one with sesame sauce and one
04:42with ponzu. This is key. Everyone gets there on set. That's not the end. Let's prepare what I call
04:50flavor boosters for the sauces. For the sesame sauce, set out grated garlic, chopped garlic chives,
04:57and chili oil. For the ponzu, we want grated daikon and chopped green onions. This is actually part of
05:05the fun. As you eat, you can keep changing the flavor profile of your sauces to keep things interesting.
05:12Adding the day shabu-shabu itself is almost plain. Alright, once the kombu has rehydrated and soaked
05:20for at least 30 minutes, let's add three tablespoons of sake and some yuzu peel to the pot.
05:28Sake adds subtle depth, but if you don't have it, it's perfectly fine to omit it. I don't recommend
05:34swapping with other liquids for this. Place the pot on the stove and bring it almost to a boil,
05:41but don't let it fully boil yet. Just as you see those first bubbles, remove the kombu. You can
05:48either discard it or save it to make kombu rice balls. Let the broth bubble for a few minutes, then
05:55set your heat to medium. Remove the yuzu peel and now you're finally ready to start cooking.
06:02These days, casual or you can eat shabu-shabu spots everywhere, but proper shabu-shabu is essentially
06:08a multi-course meal that happens in a single pot. That's what I'm teaching you today.
06:15Course 1. Tasting the meat
06:17Let's start with what I call the appreciation course. This first step is all about tasting the
06:24quality of the beef on its own and it also adds some fat and meaty essence to the broth. That'll
06:30make
06:30everything else taste even better. Each person should take one beautiful slice of protein.
06:38Now, hold it with your chopsticks and swish it back and forth in the bubbling broth.
06:44It cooks in little seconds and we want it just about cooked. Be careful not to leave it in too
06:50long or
06:51you'll overcook it. Once it's done, pull it out, let it drip for just a moment, then dip in in
06:59either
06:59the sesame or ponzu sauce. On the other hand, swish longer to cook properly if you use pork instead.
07:08Take the first bite and really savour it. This is what shabu-shabu is all about. Simple,
07:16high-quality ingredients prepared with care. Okay, now the yellowtail. I personally think yellowtail
07:26works a lot better with ponzu. Just so you know, don't use up all of your protein here. Keep it
07:33one slice for this stage. From this point on, you want to maintain the broth at around 70 to 80
07:41degrees
07:41Celsius. That's a gentle simmer where you see small bubbles steadily breaking the surface, but it's not a boil.
07:49Code 2. Enjoy meat with vegetables and tofu. Now that we've appreciated the beef on its own,
07:58let's add carrot, mushrooms, napa cabbage and tofu to the pot. We're starting with the vegetables that
08:05take longer to cook. Here's where the meal becomes interactive and social. While those vegetables are
08:13simmering and softening, everyone can continue cooking and enjoying more beef. Just swish dip and
08:21savour, but try to pace yourself with the meat, space it out, or you'll run out before the vegetables
08:27have finished cooking, and then you'll be sitting there sadly watching everyone else enjoy their beef.
08:34Also, do not fight over the meat. If you've got friends or family who tend to get a little
08:40competitive around meat, stock up extra before they arrive.
08:45As the vegetables soften to your preference, and everyone has their own preference, take them out
08:51and enjoy them with your choice of sauce. Try different combinations. This is your chance to experiment.
08:59Once you've got more space in the pot, add the bean sprouts and shungiku. These leafy,
09:05delicate vegetables cook much faster. Let them simmer for just a few minutes, then eat up until there's
09:12nothing left in the pot. Now, as you keep dipping ingredients in your sauces throughout the meal,
09:20they're going to get watered down. The ponzu sauce is easy, just top it up with more ponzu.
09:27For the sesame sauce, if it gets too watery, replace it with a fresh bowl,
09:31the creamy texture of the sesame sauce is half the appeal.
09:36And don't forget, as you're eating, try adding those flavour boosters we prepared.
09:41Maybe add some grated garlic to your sesame sauce, or stir in some daikon oroshi to your ponzu for extra
09:49heat.
09:49Keep changing it up to make the meal more interesting.
09:54Course 3, glass noodles.
09:56Alright, now for a fun little interlude. Give each person a portion of those clear glass noodles we prepared.
10:05Hold them carefully with your chopsticks and swish them in the broth until they're cooked.
10:11Once they're cooked, pour them out and dip them in your choice of sauce.
10:16These slippery little noodles are delightful with a subtle flavour that really takes on whatever sauce
10:23you pair them with.
10:24Course 4, the finishing course, shime.
10:27We've reached the grand finale, what's called the shime in Japanese, the finishing course.
10:34This is a beloved tradition in Japanese hoppo in general.
10:38Using every last bit of that flavourful broth that's now enriched with all the meat and vegetables we've been cooking.
10:46First, let's clean up the broth. Use a mashed spoon to scoop out any scum that's formed on top
10:52and fish out any lost ingredients or broken vegetable bits.
10:56We want a clean, beautiful broth for the finale.
11:00Now, divide the broth into individual serving bowls.
11:04Of course, here's the thing. This broth is still very mild in taste because we start with just kombudashi.
11:10So, season it generously with salt and pepper to your taste. Take a little sip on its own to test
11:15it.
11:16Some people prefer to add soy sauce or ponzu instead, which also adds a nice depth.
11:22There's no wrong answers here.
11:25While you're doing that, add your cooked udon, soba, or kishime noodles to the remaining broth in the pot,
11:32along with the toasted mochi if you're using it. Just warm everything through.
11:37Divide the noodles and mochi between each serving bowl of seasoned broth, garnished with chopped green onions.
11:49And there you have it. From nothing but kombu and water, we've created this entire multi-course experience.
11:56I won't sugarcoat it. The prep takes effort. But when you sit down, cook, and eat together with your friends
12:02and family, there's nothing quite like it.
12:08Want even more delicious recipes? Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description.
12:14That's a wrap. You can find the full printable version of this recipe on my website, linked right here on
12:20the screen.
12:21If you enjoyed this, check out my beef playlist too. See you then!
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