Do you love the look and texture of melted cheese sauce or dripping chocolate when you dig into a fondue? But you want to experiment with something savoury? Or are you a healthy eater and are missing out on fondue –like treats because you are on a strict diet? Don’t worry as its distant cousin, the Japanese Shabu-Shabu, is here to make things right. This extremely popular one-pot meal from Japan is savoury and healthier complete with a broth, veggies, carbs, proteins and more to get you through the whole day.
Decoding the Shabu-Shabu
The best part about Shabu-Shabu is that you get to cook your own meal with all the ingredients that you want to have from an array of items to choose from. Usually the primary and most important aspect of the dish – the broth- is a simple one called kombu dashi but sometimes you might opt for a slightly spicer one like a miso too. This completely depends upon your personal taste. Next is the meat, for which thin slices of beef, pork, chicken and sometimes seafood can be used as well. For the veggies, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, onions, spring onions and many more are available, even in varieties, to play with. Lastly, it is topped up with glass noodles or tofu bits.
On the first go, it sounds like another popular Japanese dish – the ramen. But, in terms of its basic preparation method, soup base, the way it is eaten, and its primary principle of ramen being a noodle soup dish and Shabu-Shabu being a cook-your-own hot-pot dish; are what makes them very different from each other.
The art of eating the popular Japanese dish – Shabu-Shabu
As the broth boils in front of you, all you need to do is dip the slice of meat in it for a quick few seconds because the meat cooks really fast. Then dip them into sauces like Ponzu and Gomadare and enjoy with rice or pickles, or any way you like. Interestingly, when you do swish around the meat pieces in the broth, the sound that comes from the action gives the dish its name – Shabu-Shabu. The main taste-twist comes with the use of the two sauces. While Ponzu is a citrusy-soy sauce, Gomadare is more on the nuttier side, thus giving the eater a taste of variety in the same meal.
Can you make Shabu-Shabu at home?
While the broth, meat and veggies can be easily acquired and readied, the real trick lies in the making of the dipping sauces. However, the sauces are not very difficult to make at home and can definitely be given a go.
Ponzu
Ingredients:
¼ cup soy sauce
1/4 cup yuzu juice (alternatively, lemon, lime or orange mix)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tbsp bonito flakes (optional)
1 small pieces of kombu (dried kelp) (optional)
Method:
Combine all ingredients
Refrigerate overnight
Strain out the kombu and bonito flakes
Serve chilled or at room temperature
You may adjust the sweetness with mirin or honey and the sauce stays fresh for about a week.
Gomadare
Ingredients:
3 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
2 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin (optional)
1 tbsp dashi stock or water
1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)
Method:
Lightly toast sesame seeds
Grind them with the help of a mortar and pestle and form a paste.
Mix all ingredients and whisk till you get a smooth consistency.
You can adjust the texture by adding dashi stock or water if it is too thick and sugar if it is too salty.
Additionally, ginger or garlic can be added for a hint of pungency, peanut butter for a strong nutty flavour and miso paste for the extra umami.
The Gomadare is ready for dipping!