Shabu Shabu
Ingredients
- 1 piece dried kombu (seaweed) (about 3×3-inch)
- 2 ears corn on the cob (husks and silk removed, cut into 1½-inch-thick rounds)
- ½ napa caggage (washed and cut into big strips)
- 10 shiitake mushrooms (rinsed, pat dried with paper towels, stem removed, cut into quarters if needed)
- 1 package enoki mushrooms (stalk removed and separate into smaller bunches)
- ½ pack medium-firm tofu (pat dried with paper towels and cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 pound pre-sliced beef or sirloin
- ½ pound pre-sliced pork or pork loin
- 1 package udon (preferably Sanuki) (optional)
- Sesame sauce
- Ponzu sauce
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, fill ⅔ full with water. Add the kombu and soak for 30 minutes. Set the pot over medium heat. Remove the kombu from the water just before it comes to a full boil. Boiling kombu for too long will make the broth slimy and bitter. Once boiling, add 4 pieces of corn, 1 cup cabbages, and 2 shiitake mushrooms. Bring to a boil again and cook for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the thinly sliced meats on 2 large serving plates. Arrange all the vegetables (corn, cabbage, mushrooms, and tofu) on another 2 large serving plates.
- Get the dining table ready by setting up the portable butane burner or portable electric induction cooktop. Place the meat platters, vegetable platters, 2 serving bowls, chopsticks or forks, small fine strainer (for scooping) on the table. Pour the sesame sauce and ponzu sauce into 2 sets of sauce dishes. Set them next to the serving bowls.
- Carefully transfer the large pot with vegetables to the portable burner. Turn the heat to medium. Once it is boiling, everyone can start cooking. Place a piece of meat into the boiling water and cook for about 20 seconds until no longer pink. Dip into either sauces and enjoy. Scoop out the cooked vegetable and serve with the sauces. Add more uncooked vegetables into the broth as it goes.
- After 30 minutes into dinner, fill a medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer. If the cooking broth is running low, refill with the boiling water that is standing by.
- If using udon, add to the broth near the end of the meal. Bring to a boil and cook until al dente. Divide into serving bowls. Top each bowl of udon with a couple of tablespoons of ponzu sauce.
Notes
- I got kombu in a Japanese supermarket. You can also get it through Amazon. Learn a little more about kombu through The Kitchn.
- If you can’t find shiitake or enoki mushrooms, use other Asian mushrooms, like white or brown beech mushrooms.
- Portable butane burner and butane gas canisters can be bought on Amazon or in most Asian supermarkets. You will need about 1½ – 2 canisters of butane gas for 1 meal. We also now have a portable electric induction cooktop.
- Pre-sliced meats can also be found in most Asian supermarkets. If you can’t find any, you can cut them yourself.
- I got both the sesame sauce and ponzu sauce from a Japanese supermarket. You can get them online, in most Asian supermarkets, or make your own.
- For any leftover tofu, cut them in cubes and place them on a medium plate or baking sheet. Transfer to freezer and freeze. Once they are frozen, place them in a Ziploc bag. Frozen tofu has a more dense texture and it is great to absorb flavors and liquids. Use them with soup noodles, ramen or even the next shabu shabu.
- Shabu Shabu is really flexible. Choose any food you like, like lamb, meatball, fish ball, and bak choy.
- You can increase the amount of food for more servings, but it shouldn't be more than 4 - 6 people. If there're too many people, it's hard for everyone to cook at the same time.