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.
Versions
Nobody has published a shabu shabu here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
cabbage napa
firm tofu