Shabu-Shabu
Shabu-Shabu
Shabu-shabu is one of Japan's great communal dining experiences, gathering everyone around a shared pot of simmering dashi or water at the centre of the table. Paper-thin slices of beef, or pork, or seasonal vegetables, are swished briefly through the hot broth until just cooked, then dipped in one of two traditional sauces: a sesame-based goma dare or a citrus ponzu. The name of the dish literally describes the sound the meat makes as it is swirled through the broth, and there is something deeply pleasing about that onomatopoeic simplicity.
The success of shabu-shabu at home depends heavily on having the right equipment. The pot needs to be wide enough to allow several people to cook simultaneously without crowding, and the broth needs to stay at a consistent simmer throughout the meal, which requires either a portable burner under the pot at the table or a dedicated electric hot pot. The Iwatani cassette burner is the standard domestic solution in Japan and works excellently for this purpose.
The pot itself is equally important. Traditional shabu-shabu is cooked in a round stainless steel hot pot with a chimney in the centre, a design that promotes even heat distribution and creates a visual centrepiece at the table. More casual home versions use a standard wide saucepan or donabe, which works well but loses the iconic presentation. Both options are available in this collection.
Long cooking chopsticks for handling the meat in the hot broth, individual serving bowls for sauce and broth, and ladles for distributing the stock complete the essential toolkit. The dipping sauces, goma dare and ponzu, are also available in the ingredients section.
Discover more in our subcategories:
Add a portable burner for the full table cooking experience, and use our tongs for handling the ingredients.
Shabu-shabu at home: everything you need for a perfect hotpot evening, pot, broth, meat and sauces explained.
Showing 17 products
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Ponzu Sauce, Japanese citrus-soy condiment that combines the brightness of yuzu citrus with the depth of dashi and soy. Lighter and more refreshing than plain soy sauce. Contents 500 ml Origin Made in Japan 🇯🇵 Browse also: shabu-shabu tools, sushi...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (5 items)
Laughing Cat Donburi Bowls are Japanese Mino ware porcelain bowls decorated with a cheerful smiling cat, sold as a pair with wooden chopsticks. At 15 cm across, they are sized for udon, soba, ramen and rice bowl dishes. In the...
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The Hana Rikyu Bowl is a Japanese ceramic rice bowl with the delicate Hana flower Rikyu wabi-style decoration - a quietly beautiful everyday bowl that elevates even the simplest Japanese meal. Provenance Hasami-yaki (Nagasaki Prefecture) 🇯🇵 In the Box 1...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (500 items)
Mokuto Soup Bowls are Japanese soup and rice bowls in BPA-free ABS with a traditional brown lacquer-style wood-grain finish. Their compact shape is perfect for miso soup, clear soups, rice, and side dishes. In the Box Set of 4 Japanese...
AVAILABILITY: In stock (3 items)
Arita Rice Bowls are classic Japanese Arita porcelain chawan rice bowls in traditional blue and white - the definitive Japanese rice bowl in the ceramic tradition that has set the standard for over 400 years. Origin Handcrafted in Arita, Japan...