Shabu-shabu () is a Japanese nabemono hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound – "swish swish" – emitted when the ingredients are stirred in the cooking pot. The president of the restaurant, Chūichi Miyake, registered the name as a trademark in 1952.

There are two common theories about the origin of shabu-shabu. The first is that it comes from the Inner Mongolian hot pot known as instant-boiled mutton (shuàn yángròu), which was introduced to Japan after World War II by Japanese who had lived in Beijing. Both dishes are prepared by briefly swirling thin slices of meat in boiling broth, then eaten with sauce.

  1. add ingredients which need some time to cook such as carrots, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, etc.
  2. add ingredients which are fast to cook such as tofu, green onions, mizuna and Chinese cabbage leaves.

Once the meat/fish and vegetables have been eaten, the soup stock will remain in the pot. The leftover broth from the pot can be customarily combined with rice, ramen or udon and the resulting dish is usually eaten last and called shime in Japan.

The variation with rice is also called zosui. When the cooked meat is served cold, it is called rei-shabu, which is often sold in convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan.

Sauces and dippings

thumb|Raw [[Japanese amberjack|yellowtail (buri) slices]]

A variety of sauces can be used to dip the meat and vegetables, including ponzu sauce and sesame sauce. Restaurants usually provide soy sauce, sesame paste, ponzu and several other condiment options, such as spring onions and Japanese pickled carrots, so customers can make the sauce according to their own preferences.

Variations across Japan

thumb|Raw [[conger eel slices]]

Beef, pork or chicken is usually used for shabu-shabu, but variations using fish are also available. Some fish used are yellowtail (buri), greater amberjack (kanpachi), or red seabream (tai). Octopus and crab are also used. For vegetables, lettuce or sliced daikon radish can be used instead of Chinese cabbage.

Regional ingredients include:

  • Tōhoku: Kelp (Wakame no Shabu-shabu)
  • Kansai: Daggertooth pike conger (Hamo-Shabu)
  • Toyama: Yellowtail (Buri-Shabu)
  • Hokkaido: Octopus (Tako-Shabu)
  • Kagoshima: Kurobuta pork (Kurobuta-Shabu)
  • Nagoya: Nagoya Cochin, a famous Japanese chicken breed (Tori-Shabu)

See also

  • List of Japanese soups and stews
  • Oden

References