Shabu-Shabu

The name "shabu-shabu" literally means "swish-shish," based on the sound the meat makes as you drag it through the dashi stock. Meat and vegetables are cooked by hand with chopsticks, then dipped into sauces before eating.
www.wsj.com; Published 4/11/2011

TOTAL TIME: 2 Hours

ACTIVE TIME: 1 hour

SERVES: 2-4

½ sheet dried kombu (kelp)
Dash of white soy sauce
1½ pounds sliced thin cut beef (A fattier cut is best, like ribeye, belly or strip. You can ask your butcher to slice meat on a meat slicer, as if it were lunch meat.)
4 leaves Chinese cabbage, cleaned and sliced into bite-size pieces
3 leeks, cut into 1/8-inch rounds after cleaning
8 fresh shiitake, sliced into wedges
4 fresh matsutake, if available, sliced thinly lengthwise
2 packs fresh enokitake, washed and ends cut off
8 ounces watercress, bottoms washed and trimmed
8 ounces chrysanthemum leaves
2 packs soft tofu, cut into ¼-inch dice and washed
4 scallions, washed and cut into 2-inch pieces

1. Set stove-top burner on table with large earthenware pot or heatproof pot.
2. Fill pot 75% with filtered water and add kombu and a dash of white soy sauce. Let broth sit 1 hour before cooking.
3. Meanwhile, cut and arrange all dipping ingredients (proteins and vegetables) on platter at table for service.
4. When broth is ready, remove kombu and turn on burner. Keep heat on medium during cooking so water doesn't get too hot and boil away.
5. When water is hot, use chopsticks to dip individual meat slices in the broth and swish around until meat has darkened, about 5 to 15 seconds. Remove and dip into accompanying sauces (recipes below).
6. Using chopsticks, drop vegetables into broth and let sit until desired doneness, usually about a minute. Dip into sauces before eating.

Miso-pon
A traditional dipping sauce of miso and vinegar.
4 tablespoons shiro miso paste
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake (preferably Ginjo)
5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Pinch of fleur de sel

Mix all ingredients. Thin with water if needed.

Yuzu-pon
A light citrus dipping sauce made with yuzu and soy.
1½ cups rice wine vinegar
½ cup light soy
½ cup dashi stock (available at Asian markets)
Juice from 6 fresh yuzu, about 4 ounces (lemon juice or bottled yuzu juice can be substituted)
Mix all ingredients. Thin with water if needed.