Shabu Shabu

Ingredients

• 1.5 l cold water
• 15 g dried kombu, wiped with a damp cloth
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce, for the broth
• 500 g boneless beef sirloin or ribeye, sliced paper-thin across the grain
• 300 g Chinese cabbage (napa), cut into 5 cm pieces
• 200 g shiitake or button mushrooms, wiped and halved if large
• 1 medium carrot, peeled into thin ribbons
• 150 g spinach or bok choy, washed and trimmed
• 300 g firm tofu, cut into 8 slices
• 4 spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths
• 300 g cooked udon noodles or 2 cups cooked short-grain rice, for the end of the meal
• 3 tbsp tahini or Japanese sesame paste
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce, for the sesame sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp warm water, to loosen the sesame sauce
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce, for the citrus sauce
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar, for the citrus sauce
• 100 g white radish (mooli), finely grated and lightly squeezed
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the cold water into the pot, add the kombu and leave to soak for 10 minutes. This draws out the savoury flavour gently.
2. While the kombu soaks, make the sesame sauce: whisk the tahini, 2 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin and 1 tsp sugar with the warm water until smooth and pourable like thin cream. Divide among 4 small bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
3. Make the citrus sauce: stir 3 tbsp soy sauce, the lemon juice and 1 tsp sugar until the sugar dissolves. Divide among 4 small bowls and top each with a spoonful of grated radish.
4. Arrange the beef in a single layer on a large platter. Arrange the cabbage, mushrooms, carrot, spinach, tofu and spring onions on one or two more platters, grouped by type.
5. Set the pot over medium heat and bring slowly to just below a boil, about 10 minutes. Remove the kombu as soon as small bubbles form around the edge, since boiling it can make the broth bitter and slimy. Stir in 1 tbsp soy sauce.
6. Carry the pot to the table and set it on the burner at medium heat so the broth stays at a gentle simmer. Add the cabbage stems, carrot, mushrooms and tofu first and cook for 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the mushrooms are soft.
7. Pick up a slice of beef with chopsticks and swish it through the simmering broth for 10 to 15 seconds, until it turns from red to just pale pink-brown. Dip it straight into either sauce and eat. Cook only a few slices at a time and skim off any grey foam that gathers.
8. Keep adding vegetables and beef as you eat, putting in the spinach and spring onions near the end because they cook in under a minute. Top up the pot with hot water if the level drops.
9. When the platters are nearly empty, add the udon noodles or rice to the flavoured broth and warm through for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with a little soy sauce if needed and serve in small bowls.

Tips

• Partly freeze the beef for 45 to 60 minutes before slicing, or ask the butcher to slice it on the machine as thin as possible. Thin slices cook in seconds and stay tender.
• Keep the broth at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil, so the beef does not turn tough and grey.
• Cook the beef in small batches rather than dropping in a whole plateful, which cools the broth and makes the meat clump.
• Use the sesame sauce for richer bites and the citrus sauce to cut through fattier slices.