The Japanese word shabu means “swish.” Individual diners cook raw meat slices and vegetables by swishing them around in hot flavoured broth with chopsticks. The cooked meat and vegetables are then dipped a sauce called Ponzu. The broth becomes increasingly flavourful as the meat and veggies are cooked in it so it is served as a soup at the end of the meal.
You can buy kombu at Japanese grocery stores. If you put the beef in the freezer for 20 minutes or so before slicing you’ll have an easier time slicing it thinly.
Yield is 4 servings.
Ingredients
Broth
Ponzu Sauce
Assembly
Directions
Put the chicken stock and the kombu in a large pot and heat on high heat.
Just before it boils, remove the kombu and discard.
Keep the broth hot over low heat.
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.
Arrange the meat slices and vegetables separately on large platters.
To serve, fill a fondue pot with the chicken stock and keep it hot over a burner.
Each diner picks up slices of meat and vegetables with chopsticks and swishes it back and forth in the hot broth until cooked to taste.
Dip the cooked meat and vegetables in the Ponzu dipping sauce and serve the Shabu Shabu with steamed white rice on the side.
When all the meat and veggies are cooked, serve the broth as soup.