Shabu-shabu at home: everything you need for a perfect hotpot evening

Shabu-shabu is named for the sound that thinly sliced beef makes when it is swished through simmering broth - a light, liquid sound that is somehow exactly right for the dish. Everything about shabu-shabu is calibrated toward that moment: the clear broth, the cold plates of marbled beef, the vegetables arranged beside the pot, the two sauces waiting in small bowls. It is a meal that asks everyone at the table to participate in cooking it, which is most of its pleasure.

The pot and heat source

You need a wide, shallow pot - wide enough that several people can reach in simultaneously, shallow enough that the broth heats quickly. A cast iron or stainless hotpot works well. Browse our hotpots and pots collection and pair with a portable burner placed at the centre of the table. The Iwatani range is reliable, safe for indoor use and easy to regulate - essential when the heat needs to stay at a gentle simmer throughout a long meal.

The broth

Traditional shabu-shabu uses the simplest possible broth: cold water and a large piece of dried kombu, brought slowly to just below boiling. Remove the kombu and the broth is ready. As the meal progresses and more ingredients are cooked in it, the broth absorbs flavour from the beef fat, vegetables and tofu. By the end of a long shabu-shabu meal, the broth has transformed into something rich and complex - many people drink it as a final course, seasoned with a spoonful of shio tare or soy sauce.

Ingredients: quality over quantity

Paper-thin slices of wagyu or well-marbled ribeye are the central ingredient. The fat content is critical - lean beef cooks too quickly and becomes tough. Vegetables should include shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage and spring onion. Firm tofu cut into cubes, shirataki noodles and sliced daikon round out the selection. Arrange everything on plates before the meal begins so the table looks considered from the moment guests sit down.

The two sauces

Sesame ponzu (neri goma) is creamy, nutty and rich - it suits the beef. Citrus ponzu is sharp and bright - it suits the vegetables and tofu. Each guest has small dishes of both. Use individual condiment bowls so the sauces stay separate.

For more Japanese hotpot cooking: sukiyaki is richer and sweeter, oden is the winter comfort version. Browse our full shabu-shabu tools collection.

Read next

• Sukiyaki: Japan's most festive hotpot, the sweeter, richer counterpart to shabu-shabu
• How to make ramen at home, for going deeper on broth
• The beginner's guide to Japanese cast iron cookware