Shabu Shabu

By Naz Deravian

Published Feb. 13, 2024

Shabu Shabu
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Rating
3(117)
Comments
Read comments

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.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Dashi

    • 1ounce kombu
    • 1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • White pepper, to taste

    For the Noodles

    • 8ounces frozen or fresh udon noodles, or 3 ounces dried udon noodles
    • Sesame or vegetable oil, for drizzling

    For the Meats

    • 1pound well-marbled, thinly sliced chuck, rib-eye or wagyu beef, or pork loin, or a combination thawed if frozen (see Tip)

    For the Vegetables and Tofu (choose 6 to 7)

    • 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 ½-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 ½-inch pieces
    • 1leek, white part only, cut ½-inch rounds
    • 1pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

    For Serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dashi: Add 8 cups cold water to a large (3½-quart/3-liter) donabe, or similarly sized Dutch oven or pot. Add the kombu to the water and soak for 30 minutes.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

Tip
  • You can purchase presliced meat for shabu shabu at Japanese and other Asian markets, or you can ask the butcher to thinly slice it. If doing it yourself, place the meat in a resealable plastic bag and freeze it for up to 2 hours. Remove from the freezer, then using a sharp knife, slice the meat against the grain into very thin slices (about ⅛-inch thick). If the meat shreds, put it back in the freezer until it’s ready to cleanly slice.

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Ratings

3 out of 5
117 user ratings
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Comments

Zora

When I had this in Japan, following the noodle course, beaten egg and then rice were added to the broth to produce a thickened custard. At the end of the meal no broth was left in the pot.

Jennifer

If you don't want to use a portable burner, there are a lot of really good electric hot pots out there (of varying sizes) that work very well. You may find them both online or in your local Asian grocery stores.

Emsamom

IMHO Induction burner is the way to go for safety reasons…. But it certainly won’t work with a clay pot which is probably why it’s not recommended here.

Suz

No kombu to be found in the middle of nowhere, day 5 of heavy snow — used hondashi with great results! Very fun dinner.

Stilettos in the Kitchen

Our electric Fondue pot worked very well as a substitute for the Donabe and portable burner.

Mike

I believe the "swish swish" comes from the sound made from dipping your meat in the broth with chopsticks and swishing it about to cook it. .

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