Ready for a fun, cozy dinner that will have you lingering around the table with loved ones? Try Shabu Shabu, a Japanese hot pot of vegetables and beef cooked at the table. All you have to do is wash and chop the vegetables of your choice and prepare the savory dipping sauces. Once everyone sits down, they dip their own meat into the simmering pot to cook their own. It’s one of my favorite simple meals.
I like carrots in there too, but they missed the photo opp as I had already put them into the pot to give them a head start on cooking…oops!
I offer 1/4-1/3 pound of beef per person. It must be top quality and sliced paper thin. Pictured below is wagyu ribeye purchased from a Japanese market.
The only special equipment needed is a hot plate at the dining table. Plug it in and fill a big pot with some stock. Traditionally you would start with some dried kelp, but I prefer to use beef stock flavored with some garlic and ginger. The dipping sauces are very flavorful, but why not add even more flavor to the pot?
Shabu Shabu Sauces
You can buy the sauces premade, but I prefer to make my own. The sauce on the left is for dipping your cooked vegetables. It is equal parts soy sauce and ponzu (citrus vinegar). I used lemon juice once when I was out of ponzu. It was great too. I enjoy the tartness of that ratio, but Michael prefers to add a little more soy sauce to his. The sauce on the right is called goma and it’s flavored with sesame. Dip your cooked meat in this one.
Ingredients for Beef Dipping Sauce (Goma):
- 1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup beef broth
- 1 clove of minced garlic
This is what I measured according to my taste for 4 people. I put it into a small food processor and let it sit for an hour before dinner. Your palate may prefer the addition of some miso or a little more of this or that. Experiment and see what suits you.
Cooking and Eating
Add vegetables to the pot a little at a time. Each person takes what they like as it cooks. Diners dip their own raw meat into the boiling pot and cook to their own liking. No more taking orders of rare to well done. Everyone is in charge of their own! What’s not to love about this meal? I love it so much that I neglected to take pictures of the meat that had been cooked and dipped in sauce…but you get the idea, right?
The beauty of taking a little bit of food at a time rather than loading up a plate all at once is that it makes one more aware of their satiety. You tend to check in with yourself to see if you’re still hungry or if you’re getting full. It also slows down consumption, leading to a pleasant dining experience. That’s what simple meals are all about, don’t you agree? I like to save some room at the end for cooking some yam noodles in the remaining broth.
You can certainly cook these noodles along with the vegetables, but they tend to disappear if overcooked, so it’s my preference to add them at the end…if anyone still has room to eat them!
For another family style Japanese meal, read How To Make Sushi Family Style next.
What does a festive, slow meal look like for you?