Japan is such a gourmet country having various traditional cuisines. Shabu Shabu is one of them.
Shabu Shabu is a Japanese hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. We would like to introduce Shabu Shabu that is very simple but profound.
Tips for delicious Shabu Shabu
Top quality Japanese style restaurants generally serve brand Wagyu beef, but in fact we can enjoy Shabu Shabu with any kind of meat.
Sliced pork shoulder loin or ribs, lamb, or even chicken is possible. However, beef and pork would be the most common.
There is nothing special in cooking Shabu Shabu other than using sliced meat. No seasoning is needed.
Make soup to dip meat
You can use seasoned soup but the most basic way is to use boiling water with dried kelp.
It is very simple to make. Put water and dried kelp in a hotpot to soak for about an hour. Then slowly heat the water up to 70℃, and remove the kelp.
This time we make 2 flavors. One is basic kelp-seasoned soup and the other is Korean kimchi-seasoned soup.
The kimchi-seasoned soup is made of soup stock with dried kelp and bonito, juice in which kimchi was pickled, salt and soy sauce.
Quickly boil the meat.
After making the soup, then put it on a tabletop gas stove to boil and drop sliced meat through.
It is important not to get the meat “overcooked”.
The meat will lose preferable fat and water if overcooked and become hard. It is the right time to pick it up once its color changes entirely.
Eat it with your favorite dipping sauce such as Ponzu sauce and sweet sesame sauce. The meat dipped in the kimchi soup can be eaten with no sauce.
Don’t forget to skim scum if you find it floating in the hotpot.
Shabu Shabu is not only delicious but also healthy as its excessive fat is removed. You can also enjoy “cold Shabu Shabu” by cooling meat after boiling and mix with Ponzu sauce or vegetables like a salad.
Shabu Shabu is a typical Japanese cuisine and often cooked for special occasions such as hosting guests and having celebrations. Also, it can be easily cooked at home. Why don’t you enjoy Japanese culture at home!
