Shabu-shabu – Japanese fondue

Ingredients :

    • 1.5 L of water
    • 400 g of lean beef
    • 1 bunch of spinach mustard
    • 1 very firm tofu
    • 1 package of noodles kuzukiri
    • 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms
    • 2 leeks
    • 1 sheet of kombu dehydrate

sesame sauce:

    • 3 tablespoons of sesame paste
    • 1 tablespoon of sugar
    • 2 ½ tablespoons of soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon of mirin
    • 3 tablespoons of dashi

Ponzu sauce:

    • 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
    • 5 cm piece of kombu
    • 12 cl of soy sauce
    • 12 cl of mirin

Preparation :

Soak noodles in warm water, drain, rinse under cold water and drain again then cut into 10 cm and reserved.

In a bowl put the dashi and ½ cup water and mix well to make the dashi is well dissolved and reserved.

Cut tofu into 9 pieces and set aside. Remove feet from shiitake that are not edible and cut in half, then cut the leeks diagonally into 2 cm pieces.

In a bowl put the sesame paste, sugar, soy sauce, the mirin and dashi and mix together and set aside.

In a saucepan bring the mirin to a boil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the sauce is sweeter and less concentrated alcohol.

Remove from heat and add soy sauce, lemon juice and piece of kombu and set aside.

Put the sauce into individual bowls.

Cut the very thin pieces of meat, then place between 2 sheets of cellophane and gently tap it and then flatten with a rolling pin to make them even thinner.

Put 5 cups water in a pan and add the kombu sheet and bring to a boil over medium heat, when the sheet is rehydrated remove it.

Place vegetables, tofu and the noodles in the pot, then cook your slice of meat, stirring from time to time in the kombu broth and soaked in the sesame sauce or ponzu and taste.

Tips : you can pretty much added onion or spring onion or chrysanthemum edible leaves.

Anecdotes : Shabu-shabu is of Chinese origin, this is a recipe from Peking, the yang rou shuan, using thin slices of mutton.
In 1952, a restaurant in Osaka, the Suehiro, import this dish, and he adapted to Japanese tastes. The sheep is not common in Japan, so it was replaced by beef, popular with Japanese, in particular meat of Kobe. Three years later, a Tokyo restaurant, the Zakuro, began serving shabu-shabu. This dish quickly became popular throughout Japan.