How to eat shabu-shabu | Keeping the broth clear is essential!
Shabu-shabu is a long-beloved dish throughout Japan. Following the Second World War, beef dishes were introduced to Japan from Europe and America, which led to the shabu-shabu style of enjoying beef becoming popular throughout the nation. In this style, thinly-sliced pieces of beef are briefly swished through a simmering dashi broth, and enjoyed with a variety of condiments. We’ve asked a shabu-shabu specialty restaurant for some advice on the smart way to enjoy this classic dish.
【Advised by】KISOJI （しゃぶしゃぶと日本料理の木曽路）
Table of Contents
Let’s take a look at the sauces and condiments.
Shabu-shabu is enjoyed by briefly swishing thinly-sliced beef through simmering Japanese-style dashi broth. There are a number of ways to season shabu-shabu, of which the established classics are goma-dare (sesame sauce) and ponzu (soy-citrus sauce).
Other aromatic garnishes commonly include sarashi-negi (thinly-sliced spring onion), momiji-oroshi (grated daikon and red chili), nira (garlic chives), and ninniku (garlic).
We recommend combining the garlic chives and garlic with Kisoji’s secret-recipe sesame sauce, and adding green onion and momiji-oroshi to the ponzu sauce.
Start by enjoying a slice of meat
When you order shabu-shabu, the staff will first bring a pot filled with dashi broth. While subtle, this dashi has an important role in creating the umami (savory) flavor component of the shabu-shabu. An ironclad rule among shabu-shabu experts is to maintain the clarity of the dashi while dining.
The dashi is ready when it starts to simmer. First, start with a single slice of beef, and fully savor its flavor. Use saibashi (long cooking chopsticks) to take hold of one edge of the slice, and lay it down into the pot starting from the opposite edge.
Once the slice of beef has unfurled in the dashi, use the saibashi to take hold of the middle, and swish the beef in a figure-of-eight motion. This particular motion defines the concept of “shabu-shabu”. Without rushing, make about three of these swishes to infuse the flavor of dashi into the beef.
The beef is best enjoyed with a slight blush of pink remaining. If overcooked, it will become tough, and lose its own umami flavor. When dipped into the sesame sauce, this beef is exceedingly tender and bursting with sweetness. By the way, the saibashi used for cooking and the hashi (chopsticks) for dining are separate. It’s correct manners to use the saibashi to serve the cooked beef into your dipping bowl, then switch to your dining hashi to eat.
How to skim the broth (akutori)
Accumulated scum (aku) is the mortal enemy of a successful hotpot! It’s of utmost importance to skim off the scum throughout dining. To remove scum, known as akutori in Japanese, first bring the pot to high heat. The dashi will begin to boil, causing scum to float on the surface.
Once the scum floats to the top, return the heat to its original setting, and use the ladle to skim off the scum. Face the ladle towards the outside of the pot, and use the edge of the pot to effectively capture floating scum. A vessel known as aku-tsubo is provided to tip out the scum.
Next, enjoy the beef and vegetables together
After savoring the flavor of the beef by itself, cook some vegetables for the next round. It’s best to add vegetables with long cooking times, such as shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and hakusai (napa cabbage). To avoid making the broth cloudy, it’s important to only add small batches at once.
Harusame (cellophane noodles, pictured left) are commonly included in shabu-shabu. If dropped into the broth, they will turn completely transparent within moments and easily become lost, so it’s best to keep hold of them with chopsticks and remove them as soon as they are cooked. Ponzu is the recommended sauce for harusame. Mizuna (potherb mustard leaves, pictured right) cook very quickly, so is best added shortly before eating.
Don’t forget to “shabu-shabu” slices of beef amidst the vegetables. As you start to feel full towards the end of the meal, light and tangy ponzu makes a nice accent.
Use the remaining dashi to make shime-ryori (finishing dishes)
A wide variety of shime-ryori (finishing dishes) are commonly enjoyed at the conclusion of a shabu-shabu meal. At Kisoji, kishimen (flat wheat noodles) and mochi (rice cakes) are cooked in the broth, absorbing delicious flavors that have been imparted by the meat and vegetables. As you meticulously keep the broth clean of scum throughout your meal, remember that this delicious finishing dish is waiting for you!
While the kishimen and mochi are cooking, prepare your soup. Add salt and pepper to the soup cups to taste, then top with about five ladlefuls of broth.
When the edges of the noodles start to become transparent, the kishimen are ready to eat. Slide them up and over the edge of the pot and into your cup to avoid splashing. Mochi is ready if it droops into an inverted ‘U’ shape when lifted with saibashi.
After serving the kishimen and mochi, add spring onions to taste, and enjoy! The warmth of the dashi and goodness of the meat and vegetables will slowly spread through your body. Each restaurant has its own style of finishing dishes.
As you enjoy, pay attention to keeping the broth clear, and you will be rewarded with rich, delicious flavor throughout the shabu-shabu and onto the finishing dishes.
* The published information is current as of August 2022. Prices and other details are subject to change.
Savor “shabu-shabu” with exceptional beef and seasonal vegetables carefully selected from throughout Japan. Locations are available throughout Japan, from Honshu to Kyushu.
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