Dish · japanese
Shabu Shabu
Thin slices of beef swished briefly through simmering kombu broth at the table, along with napa cabbage and tofu, then dipped in ponzu. The name imitates the swishing sound of the meat moving through the pot.
Where it comes from
The name and format are usually traced to a mid-20th century Osaka restaurant that adapted Mongolian hot pot style to thin-sliced beef in a lighter broth, though communal hot pot eating in Japan predates that specific naming.
What cooks argue about
Cooks argue over how many swishes the beef needs: too few leaves it raw and chewy, too many toughens it, since the slices are cut thin enough to cook in seconds rather than minutes.
Nobody has published a shabu shabu recipe yet. The page stays out of search until one exists, which is the rule for every thin page here.