Shabu-Shabu at Home

So after griping about all the work involved in Bowls, I decided to do this.

As long as I was stocking up on frozen dim sum and cheap Asian essentials at 99 Ranch for Chinese New Year, I decided to partake of their shabu-slice meat selection.  I spent a lot.  I did manage to control myself and only get one packet of shabu chicken.  The beef was crazy expensive.  I splurged on a duck instead.  Come on, $3.29/lb for duck?  Had to.

Shabu-shabu, or "hot pot" as the dated Oriental Cookbook calls it, is kind of like Japanese fondue with broth.  You are presented with a pot of flavorful broth and a plate of beautifully arranged raw foods, plus a rice landing pad for the cooked items and a sauce or two.

Similar to fondue, it is very important not to mix up the raw and cooked plates.  Even vegetables must get a one minute-minimum bath, since they shared a plate with raw meat or fish.  Dip the chopsticks in the broth, too, to sanitize them.  The exception is a vegetarian arrangement.  Also as with fondue, the finished product is very hot.  Give it a moment to cool in the rice bowl before consuming.

As a group thing, you would want to make sure no one is allergic to any of the dipping ingredients or on a special diet (like vegetarian or gluten-free).  It isn't impossible to do at a dinner party, but maybe have no more than three people to a pot.  I'm considering doing this for Passover, with appropriate dietary modifications.

As a disclaimer for the photos, I've been eating a lot of white rice lately and decided to fill the final bowl with udon noodles instead.  Usually, the noodles go on the serving plate to swirl in the broth, along with everything else.

You can change the dipping ingredients to fit your preferences and availability.  Tofu instead of meat or fish, zucchini, other kinds of cabbage, etc.

And expect more recipes with miso in them.  The smallest package was 500g.

2 qt unsalted chicken stock
2 Tb dashi miso paste (optional)
1 lb very thinly sliced chicken, beef, or pork
1 kamoboko (fish cake, the pink thing), sliced
1 bunch green onion, sliced in 1" pieces
1 carrot, sliced in ovals
2 baby bok choi, cut into manageable pieces
4 oz daikon radish, sliced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered
2 bundles udon noodles
1 C dry white rice
soy sauce as needed

1.  Cook the rice and udon according to package directions.

2.  While that's going on, heat stock and miso paste in a large pot to boiling.

3.  Cut all the vegetables (and meat, if necessary).  Arrange on individual serving platters or bowls.  Add udon noodles to the plate when done.  When the rice is ready, make four bowls of it.  Place soy sauce into serving cups for everyone to flavor their own dish.

4.  Pour now-flavored stock into fondue pots set on simmer.  I used the cheese baker thingy as an easier thing for one person to use.

5.  To eat, dip ingredients in pot and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.  Move cooked items to rice bowl and eat as the next batch is cooking.  This is when you would add any soy to taste.  Waiting for everything to cook makes this meal last a long time.  It's a very social way of eating.

6.  By the end of the meal, the stock in the fondue pot has picked up the flavors of everything that has been in it.  Pour the remainder into the bowl and have it as soup.

7.  Alternately, any leftovers can be microwaved directly into leftover stock and had as nabeyaki udon the next day.

Difficulty rating  π