A 30-second introduction

Shabu-shabu: cook in the pot, dip at the table

しゃぶしゃぶ

Shabu-shabu is a tabletop meal in which thinly sliced meat and other ingredients are cooked in hot broth, lifted out and dipped in a separate sauce. Diners cook and eat a few pieces at a time.

A modern shabu-shabu serving from Dojima Suehiro.

Thin slices of meat are a common feature.
The cooking pot and dipping bowls have different functions.
Beef, pork and accompanying ingredients vary.

Following one slice

2. A single slice held in the cooking broth (illustration).

3. Lifting the cooked slice out of the pot (illustration).

4. Dipping outside the pot in a separate bowl (illustration).

A diner lifts a slice from its platter, moves it through the hot broth and removes it after cooking before dipping it in a personal bowl. Thin portions suit this repeated action. Cooking time varies with the meat, slice thickness and cooking conditions.

Three parts of the setting

The pot supplies the cooking liquid, platters hold uncooked ingredients, and smaller bowls hold sauces such as ponzu or sesame. Vegetables, tofu and mushrooms add other textures. Noodles or rice may finish the meal, while pot design, broth and serving combinations differ between establishments and homes.

Sukiyaki is seasoned in the cooking pan. The Japanese meat-consumption information centre’s glossary describes a Kanto method using sweet-savoury warishita and a Kansai method that first sears beef in fat, then adds sugar and soy sauce. Shabu-shabu cooks thin slices in broth before seasoning them in a personal dipping bowl. Both meals can be cooked at the table, with different heating and seasoning steps.

A postwar history with several milestones

The modern dish developed through restaurant practice and exchanges involving the folk-craft movement. Shoya Yoshida brought experience of northern Chinese mutton hotpot into these exchanges. Junidanya adapted the preparation to beef with a sesame dip; its charcoal-fired copper pot, with a central chimney, also drew on Chinese hotpot equipment. Kyoto’s Junidanya dates its beef mizutaki to 1949. Eirakucho Suehiro in Osaka is associated with the shabu-shabu name in 1952, while Dojima Suehiro dates its first menu offering to 1954. The dish spread through restaurants with their own recipes and serving arrangements.

Local settings and later variation

Takumi Kappoten opened in Tottori in 1962, serving Yoshida’s beef susuginabe in a setting of folk-craft furniture and tableware. Yoshida called it a “living museum”: diners encountered craft objects in use rather than only in display cases. Different establishments developed their own meats, sauces and combinations. At Imahan, for example, Chinese-style noodles are served at the end in the broth enriched by the meat and vegetables.

Check your understanding

Does the dipping sauce normally go into the broth?

It is usually served separately, for dipping cooked ingredients.

Is there one cooking time for every slice?

No. Ingredients, thickness and cooking conditions vary.

Is shabu-shabu a name for every Japanese hotpot?

No. Shabu-shabu involves cooking thin portions in hot liquid and dipping them separately. Other Japanese hotpots use different preparations.

How does seasoning differ in these sukiyaki and shabu-shabu examples?

Sukiyaki is seasoned in its cooking pan; the shabu-shabu slice cooks in broth and is then dipped in a separate sauce bowl.

Sources and images