Shabu-shabu
しゃぶしゃぶ
Paper-thin beef swished through a barely simmering kombu broth at the table, dipped in citrus ponzu or thick sesame goma dare, finished with udon in the pot.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: しゃぶしゃぶ.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Shabu-shabu is the plainer, cleaner cousin of sukiyaki. A pot of water with a sheet of kombu sits barely simmering on the table; you pick up a paper-thin slice of beef with chopsticks, swish it through the water two or three times until it turns pale pink, and dip it in a sauce. The name is the sound of that swish. There are two sauces and both matter: ponzu, sharp with citrus and soy, and goma dare, a thick, sweet sesame sauce. Vegetables and tofu go in as you go, the broth gets richer with every slice of meat, and the meal ends with noodles cooked in it.
What you'll need
23 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Pot
- Ponzu
- Goma dare
- To serve
Ingredients
Pot
Ponzu
- Soy sauce80 ml
- Lemon juice, yuzu if you can find it, or lemon with a squeeze of lime60 ml
- Vinegar, rice vinegar15 ml
- Mirin15 ml
- Katsuobushi (optional)3 g
Goma dare
To serve
- Korean radish, daikon, finely grated (optional)150 g
- Spring onion, finely sliced2
- Udon noodles, two portions of fresh or frozen udon, to finish400 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth, leaving the white powder on it, and soak it in the 2 litres of water in your pot for 30 minutes.
30 min
Step 2
For the ponzu, mix the soy sauce, citrus juice, rice vinegar, mirin and bonito flakes, leave 15 minutes and strain. For the goma dare, whisk the tahini, ground sesame, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and mirin, then add the water a spoon at a time until it is like double cream.
10 min
Step 3
Arrange the beef on one platter and the vegetables and tofu on another. Grate the daikon and slice the spring onion. Give everyone a small bowl of each sauce.
15 min
Step 4
Heat the pot slowly. Take the kombu out just before the water boils, then keep it at a bare simmer on a tabletop burner. Add the carrot, cabbage stems and tofu first, since they take longest.
10 min
Watch: Kombu left in boiling water turns the broth slimy and bitter.
Step 5
Each person takes a slice of beef, swishes it through the broth two or three times until it just turns pale, and dips it in a sauce: ponzu with daikon and spring onion, or goma dare. Add cabbage leaves, mushrooms and leek as you go, and skim off the grey foam with a spider every few minutes.
20 min
Tip: Ten seconds is plenty. Beef that goes grey in the pot has gone too far.
Step 6
When the meat is finished, skim the broth, season it with a pinch of salt and a splash of ponzu, and cook the udon in it for 2 to 3 minutes. Eat it as soup with the last of the spring onion.
5 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 764 kcal
- Protein
- 56.5 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 35.7 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.8 g
- Fibre
- 7.6 g
- Sugar
- 11.6 g
- Sodium
- 2925 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Soy
- Wheat
- Sesame
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Beef → Thin-sliced pork belly or shoulder
Pork is the home default in Japan. Cook it a few seconds longer, until no pink is left.
Tahini → Smooth unsweetened peanut butter, thinned
Not traditional, but close in body. It adds peanuts to the allergens.
Tips
- Ask an Asian grocer for shabu-shabu cut beef or pork. It is sold frozen in rolled sheets and is thinner than you can slice at home.
- A pinch of chilli in the grated daikon makes momiji oroshi, the usual spicy garnish for ponzu.
History & culture
It is a winter dinner and a restaurant treat, served at chains with a small pot for each diner and at older places with one copper pot for the table. Ponzu tends to go with the vegetables and goma dare with the beef, though nobody enforces it. Pork shabu-shabu is the cheaper everyday version at home.
Shabu-shabu is usually credited to Suehiro, an Osaka restaurant that put it on the menu in 1952 and registered the name a few years later. It was adapted from shuan yangrou, a Beijing hotpot of sliced lamb, which Japanese who had lived in northern China brought home after the war.
Traditional — A donabe or a copper shabu-shabu pot on a tabletop burner is the usual kit. A wide casserole on a portable hob works, or one carried from the stove and reheated, though the broth cools faster. Yuzu or sudachi juice is the proper ponzu citrus; lemon with a little lime is the stand-in written here.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Shabu-shabu take?
1 hr 30 min all in — 30 min prep, 30 min cook, 30 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Soy, Wheat, Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
14 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Mixing bowl, Spider or strainer, Chef's knife, Cutting board.
How much salt do I put in?
This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 80 ml; Soy sauce — 2 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.
How much soy sauce?
80 ml of Soy sauce.
How much vinegar?
1 tbsp (rice vinegar) of Vinegar.
How much mirin?
1 tbsp of Mirin.
How much soy sauce?
2 tbsp of Soy sauce.
How much sugar?
1 tbsp of Sugar.
How much vinegar?
1 tbsp (rice vinegar) of Vinegar.
How much mirin?
1 tbsp of Mirin.
What can I use instead?
Beef → Thin-sliced pork belly or shoulder. Pork is the home default in Japan. Cook it a few seconds longer, until no pink is left. Tahini → Smooth unsweetened peanut butter, thinned. Not traditional, but close in body. It adds peanuts to the allergens.
What should I watch for?
Kombu left in boiling water turns the broth slimy and bitter.
Any tips from this recipe?
Ask an Asian grocer for shabu-shabu cut beef or pork. It is sold frozen in rolled sheets and is thinner than you can slice at home. A pinch of chilli in the grated daikon makes momiji oroshi, the usual spicy garnish for ponzu.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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