Shabu Shabu Food

SHABU SHABU

Steps:

• Put the water in a pan and add the dried seaweed. Simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Pull out the kombu when the water starts to boil. To enhance the flavour you can add some dried bonito flakes 5 minutes before taking the kombu out. It is important not to let the water and kombu boil. Strain the broth, discarding the kombu and bonito flakes.
• Place the beef between 2 sheets of cling film and bash with the back of a knife until it is very thin. Slice the beef into thin strips and place on a serving plate.
• Bring the broth to the boil. Add the shiitake mushrooms, followed by the enoki mushrooms, then the tofu and finally the watercress. Serve this pan of boiling broth at the table immediately and get your guests to cook their beef by dipping it in the broth with chopsticks.
• Give each guest a bowl of rice and a bowl for their broth, and a small dish of the ponzu dipping sauce. Don't forget the sake or Japanese beer.

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.

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:

• Place in a medium-sized pot a couple of slices of kombu (kelp) and cover with cold water.
• Gently bring the water to a boil and remove the kombu just before it starts to boil.
• Let the water boil very gently.
• Take one of the items, swish it around in the hot water for a few seconds (for beef) to a few minutes (for vegetables).
• Combine 2 parts soy sauce with 1 part lemon juice for dipping sauce.
• Serve with hot steamed rice.

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.

SHABU-SHABU

Steps:

• Arrange steak on large platter, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Arrange cabbage, mushrooms, leeks, tofu, and spinach on another large platter, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• In large pot, bring 8 cups water to boil on stove, then transfer to tabletop stove.
• Place meat and vegetables in pot and swish around until meat is cooked through, about 15 seconds.