Japanese Beef Fondue Shabu Shabu Food

SHABU SHABU

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.

SHABU SHABU WITH DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• Arrange the meat attractively on a round platter, so that each slice can be easily picked up with chopsticks or a fondue fork. Arrange vegetables on a second platter.
• Fill a hot pot or nabe pot 2/3 full of dashi set on a burner on the table. Each diner picks up a piece of meat from the serving platter and swishes it around in the simmering broth until the red meat becomes pink, or cooked to the degree desired. Diners may alternate between meat and vegetables. The tofu breaks easily, so be careful when adding it to the pot. Diners eat from the pot, dipping the food into the dipping sauces which are placed in individual cups at each person's place.
• Combine the water and kelp in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, removing the kelp just before water boils since it emits a strong odor. If the fleshiest part of the kelp is still tough, return it to the water for a few more minutes, along with a little cold water. (Soft kelp means sufficient flavor has been extracted.) Remove the kelp and bring stock to a full boil.
• Add 1/4 cup cold water to bring the temperature down quickly and add the bonito flakes. Bring to a boil, and then immediately remove from the heat. (If bonito flakes boil too long, the stock becomes bitter.) Allow the flakes to settle to the bottom of the pan, then filter the stock through cheesecloth. Yield: About 2 quarts
• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes to reduce by 1/3, then remove from heat and cool. Stir in vinegar to taste. Pour sauce into individual cups.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy pan until lightly browned. Transfer warm seeds to a mortar and grind to a paste, or whirl in a blender. Add the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake, and mix well, using a spatula to blend and smooth the sauce. Add cayenne to taste. Pour sauce into individual cups.

SHABU SHABU

Steps:

• Arrange beef on a platter; spinach, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and onions on another platter; and tofu on a third platter or with the vegetables.
• Combine soy sauce, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup chicken broth in a bowl; portion dipping sauce into 6 very small bowls.
• Pour remaining broth into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Transfer hot broth to a fondue pot.
• Serve with chopsticks or forks. Individuals cook their own portions of meat, vegetables, and tofu in the boiling broth, then dip in dipping sauce and eat.

JAPANESE SHABU SHABU

Steps:

• Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot on the stove.
• Arrange the beef on a platter.
• Arrange the tofu, cabbage, peppers, carrots, mushrooms and green onions on a separate platter.
• Transfer the broth to an electric fondue pot, electric wok or traditional hot pot set on the dining table. Add the coriander (cilantro) and simmer for 5 minutes before you start to dip. Use fondue forks to dip the food into the simmering broth.
• Cook the beef to desired doneness, the tofu until heated through and the vegetables until tender-crisp.
• Serve with rice and dips.

SHABU SHABU

Steps:

• Heat broth to boiling on stove; transfer to fondue or other tabletop cooking unit; keep flame high enough to continue boiling.
• Let each guest cook the pieces of beef, chicken, fish, liver and mushrooms to their liking, dipping each piece into shabu sauce or sesame seed sauce before eating.
• When meat is almost gone, place the spinach, Chinese cabbage and onions into broth; stir for three minutes.
• Guests help themselves to the vegetables.
• When the vegetables are finished, add the noodles to broth; cook for five minutes and ladle into individual bowls.