Shabu Shabu

Ingredients

• 10cm piece dried kombu
• 2 liters cold water
• 500g beef ribeye or chuck, sliced paper-thin
• 1/4 head napa cabbage, cut into large pieces
• 200g firm tofu, cubed
• 150g enoki mushrooms, trimmed
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, halved
• 1 carrot, sliced thin
• 2 scallions, cut into 5cm lengths
• 200g udon noodles
• 1/2 cup ponzu sauce
• 1/2 cup sesame dipping sauce (goma-dare)

Before you cook

• Soak the kombu in the cold water for 30 minutes.
• Slice the beef paper-thin if not already sliced, and arrange on a platter.
• Cut the napa cabbage, tofu, mushrooms, carrot, and scallions and arrange them on a platter.
• Pour the ponzu and sesame sauce into small individual dipping bowls.

Steps

1. Set the pot with the kombu and its soaking water on a portable burner at the table.
2. Heat the broth gently until small bubbles appear at the edges, then lift out the kombu before it boils hard.
3. Add the vegetables that take longest to cook, such as carrot and cabbage stems, to the simmering broth.
4. Let each diner pick up one or two slices of beef with chopsticks and swish them through the broth for 3 to 5 seconds until the color changes.
5. Dip the cooked beef in ponzu or sesame sauce and eat immediately.
6. Add tofu, mushrooms, and remaining vegetables to the pot in small batches as diners continue swishing meat.
7. Once the meat and vegetables are finished, add the udon noodles to the enriched broth and simmer for 3 minutes.
8. Ladle the noodles and remaining broth into bowls to finish the meal.