Shabu shabu is one of my all-time favorite Japanese winter dishes. It’s warm, comforting, incredibly healthy, and surprisingly simple to make at home. If you’ve never had it before, well then, you're definitely in for a treat!
Jump to:
🍲What Is Shabu Shabu?
Shabu shabu is a Japanese nabe (hot pot) dish traditionally enjoyed during colder months. Thinly sliced meat and vegetables are lightly cooked in a clean kombu broth, then dipped into flavorful sauces before eating. It’s the kind of meal that’s meant to be shared, enjoyed slowly, and customized exactly to your liking, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.
The name comes from the swishing sound (“shabu shabu”) the thin slices of meat make when they’re gently swirled in hot broth.
Unlike heavier hot pots, shabu shabu uses a very light, clean broth, usually made with kombu (dried kelp). The flavor comes from the ingredients themselves and the dipping sauces rather than the broth being heavily seasoned.
It’s simple, interactive, and incredibly satisfying.
💖Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy and light, yet filling
- Quick and easy to prepare
- Completely customizable
- Perfect for cold weather or family-style meals
- Great balance of clean flavors and rich sauces
Once you try shabu shabu at home, it’s hard not to crave it all winter long.
🥩Ingredients for Shabu Shabu
Shabu shabu is very flexible. What I’m using here is fairly traditional, but feel free to swap ingredients based on availability or personal preference.
Broth
- Dried kombu
- Water
Meat
- Thinly sliced pork belly (my personal favorite)
- OR thinly sliced beef (ribeye, chuck, or short rib work well)
Most Asian markets carry pre-sliced shabu shabu meat, but you can also ask your local butcher to slice it thin for you. It’s possible to slice it yourself as well, though it takes a bit more time and a very sharp knife. Pro tip: partially freezing the meat first makes it much easier to get clean, thin slices.
Vegetables & Add-Ins
- Napa cabbage
- Spinach
- Green onions
- Enoki mushrooms
- Shimeji mushrooms
- Shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves)
- Tofu (soft or medium preferred, but any type works)
Carbs (Optional but Highly Recommended)
- Steamed rice
- Frozen udon noodles
Dipping Sauces
- Ponzu sauce
- Daikon radish (for grating)
- Gomadare (Japanese sesame sauce)
Tip: You don’t need everything listed here. One protein, a few vegetables, and at least one dipping sauce is enough to enjoy shabu shabu.
🔪How to Prep for Shabu Shabu
1. Cook the Rice (Optional)
If you’re planning on eating rice, start this first. Some people prefer noodles instead, but rice is very traditional and pairs beautifully with the broth.
2. Prepare the Kombu Broth
Fill your pot with water and add the kombu. Let it soak while you prep everything else.
Any large pot will work fine but I like using a traditional donabe (Japanese clay pot) because it retains heat well and cooks evenly. Here are a couple of my recommendations:
3. Prep the Vegetables
Napa Cabbage
- Cut the leafy parts into roughly 2-inch squares
- Slice the thicker core into thinner pieces
Green Onions
- Cut into about 2-inch lengths
- Keep the white and green parts separate
Mushrooms
- Rinse, trim the ends, and gently separate into smaller clusters
Spinach
- Simply wash and set aside
4. Prep the Daikon
Grate the daikon to make daikon oroshi. Gently drain excess liquid, but don’t squeeze it completely dry.
5. Prep the Tofu
Cut the tofu into cubes. I like to cut them roughly into 1 x 2-inch rectangles.
That’s it! Prep is done.
🧑🍳How to Cook Shabu Shabu
- Place the pot over medium-high heat
- Just before it reaches a boil, remove the kombu
- Add the vegetables and tofu (everything except the green section of the green onions)
- Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes
- Add the rest of the green onion and you’re ready to eat
🥢How to Eat Shabu Shabu (The Right Way)
The fun part.
Add some daikon oroshi to your ponzu sauce. Keep the gomadare separate so you can switch between sauces.
To eat:
- Grab a slice of meat with chopsticks (use a communal pair if sharing)
- Swish it through the hot broth for 15–20 seconds, depending on how cooked you like it
- Dip into ponzu or gomadare
- Enjoy immediately
If you notice a bit of foam or scum forming as you cook more meat, just skim it off occasionally to keep the broth clean.
🍜Finishing the Meal: Shime (Optional)
This is one of my favorite ways to close out a meal, especially when there’s a bit of drinking involved. It’s called shime, which translates to “closing,” and it usually means finishing with a comforting carbohydrate like rice, udon, ramen, or another type of noodle.
To wrap up our shabu shabu meal, we simply add frozen udon noodles directly to the broth and cook them for about a minute (check the package instructions). By this point, the broth has absorbed all the flavors from the meat and vegetables, making it deeply comforting and incredibly satisfying.
You can:
- Eat the noodles with the broth as is
- OR add it into your ponzu or gomadare for more flavor
Either way, it’s one of the best parts of the meal.
✍️Final Thoughts
Shabu shabu is one of those dishes that looks fancy but is actually incredibly simple. It’s clean, nourishing, interactive, and perfect for colder months. Once you try it, you’ll understand why it’s one of my favorite Japanese comfort foods.
Simple to make, comforting to eat, and perfect for relaxed meals with people you love. Doesn't get much better than that.
🤔Common Questions
Not necessarily. What matters most is that the meat is sliced very thin so it cooks quickly in the broth. Many Asian markets sell pre-sliced shabu shabu or hot pot meat, but your local butcher can usually do it as well if you ask. If you’re slicing at home, a sharp knife and partially frozen meat will make your life much easier. My personal favorite is thin-sliced pork belly but a well-marbled ribeye is great as well.
Nope, and that’s kind of the whole point. The meat only needs a quick swish in the hot broth, just a few seconds for beef and slightly longer for pork. Overcooking is the easiest way to lose that tender texture, so think quick, gentle, and intentional.
Yes, with a little care. If you have leftover broth and ingredients, let everything cool completely before storing. The broth can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2–3 days. If possible, store cooked meat and vegetables separately so they don’t overcook when reheated. When you’re ready to eat, gently reheat the broth and then add the rest of the ingredients to warm it back up. Just keep in mind, shabu shabu is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can still be very comforting the next day.
Shabu Shabu (Japanese Hot Pot)
VIDEO
EQUIPMENT
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Donabe (Japanese Earthenware Pot) or large heavy-bottomed pot
- 1 Portable Stove butane or electric
- 1 Grater for daikon
- 1 Fine-mesh skimmer or small ladle
INGREDIENTS
Soup Ingredients
- 1 sheet Kombu (dried kelp) 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm)
- ½ lb Pork belly thin sliced
- ½ lb Beef thin sliced
- 19 oz Tofu soft or medium
- 5-6 leaves Napa cabbage
- ½ bunch Spinach
- 4-5 Green onion
- 1 pack Enoki mushrooms about 5oz (150g)
- 1 pack Shimeji mushrooms about 3.5oz (100g)
- 3-4 cups Rice (steamed) optional
- 1-2 packs Udon noodles frozen
Dipping Sauce
- Ponzu
- Gomadare sesame sauce
- 2 inches Daikon radish 5 cm
INSTRUCTIONS
Before starting
- Cook rice (optional)
Prepare the Broth
- Add water to a donabe or large pot about ⅔ of the way full.
- Add the sheet of kombu and let it soak while we prep everything else.
Prepping Vegetables
- Separate the white, core section of the napa cabbage leaves by cutting it out in a triangular shape.
- Cut leafy, green parts roughly into two-inch squares. Slice the thicker core section into thinner pieces (about ½-inch slices).
- Cut green onions diagonally into about 2-inch length while keeping the white and green parts separate.
- Trim off the bottom of the enoki mushrooms and gently separate it into smaller clusters.
- Same thing for the shimeji mushrooms.
- Simply wash the spinach and set aside.
- Arrange all the vegetables neatly on a serving platter(s).
Prepping Protein
- Cut the tofu into cubes or rectangles. I prefer roughly an inch by two-inch rectangles.
- If meat is not pre-sliced, take a sharp knife and slice it as thin as you can. *Pro tip: It's easier to cut thin slices if the meat is partially frozen.
- Arrange the meat and tofu on separate serving platters.
Dipping Sauces
- Grate the daikon radish and gently drain excess liquid. *Pro tip: Do not squeeze the daikon or else it'll become too dry.
- Simply pour the other sauces (ponzu and gomadare) separately into small bowls.
Cooking Shabu Shabu
- Place the donabe or pot over medium-high heat (with the kombu still in it).
- Just before it reaches a boil, take out the kombu.
- Add vegetables and tofu to the pot (leave the green parts of the green onion out).
- Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add the rest of the green onion and you're ready to eat.
Eating Shabu Shabu
- Have everything ready and laid out conveniently on the table.
- Grab a slice of meat with chopsticks (use a communal pair if sharing).
- Swish it through the hot broth for 15–20 seconds, depending on the meat and how cooked you like it.
- Dip into ponzu or gomadare and enjoy immediately.
- If you notice any scum forming as you're cooking, just skim it off with a fine-mesh skimmer.
- Add the udon noodles towards the end and cook it in the broth according to package instructions. You can also add it in earlier if you prefer.
Leave a Reply