Food experience in Japan: Mushi shabu shabu

27.Jun.2022

DISCOVER JAPAN

I’ve always love Japanese cuisine. Before I came to Japan I used to order some takeaway dishes at the Japanese restaurant near home. Although it was good I wanted to taste authentic Japanese cuisine. When I finally arrived in Japan, a few months ago, I had more than one opportunity to try some good food.

Here we go agaim. The same Japanese popula dishes such as sushi, sashimi or ramen! Well, that’s not the case. I want to introduce you a more particular dish: mushi shabu shabu.

There are so many different kinds of hotpot dishes here in Japan. While many of these hotpot dishes are from particular regions, there are several hotpot recipes that are considered to be commonly consumed at home. Today’s recipe, Shabu-shabu, is one of them.
The word “shabu shabu” is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound “swish swish” emitted when the ingredients are stirred in the cooking pot. Its ingredients are cooked piece by piece by the diner at the table. Shabu-shabu is considered to be more savory and less sweet than sukiyaki. It is much like fondue without the cheese. This mysteriously named dish is a popular style of nabemono, or Japanese hot pot, featuring paper-thin slices of tender meat and fresh vegetables cooked together in a large open pot. and serve with sauces.

Shabu shabu ingredients

There are a variety of meats you can use such as pork, chicken or lamb and beef. The most commonly vegetables used for shabu shabu are shungiku (chrysanthemmus leaves), napa cabbage, long green onion (negi) and carrots. However, you can put in other vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, zucchini and so on.

Ponzu's sauce：On the right　“Goma-tare” sauce：On the center

Ponzu's sauce

One of the most polular sauce used is the “Ponzu” sauce, a delicious soy sauce with citrus aroma. Ponzu sauce has a tart-tangy flavor similar to a vinaigrette. It also contains lemon. The perfect balance be-tween salty, sweet, spicy and acidic aromas, makes this sauce a perfect condiment for all types of dishes; moreover, its slightly spicy taste gives liveliness and freshness. The grilled meat with Ponzu sauce poured on it is really delicious and you can experience a real explosion of flavors! This sauce has a fresh flavor that also suits roast chicken or steamed fish fillets.

“Goma-tare” sauce

Another sauce with which you can taste shabu-shabu is Goma-tare sauce, a type of sesame sauce. The ingredients of this sauce are kingoma (golden sesame), traditional soy sauce, black rice vinegar (brown rice vinegar), konbu dashi, Shiitake (mushrooms).

The difference between Shabu shabu and Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is also a meat-based cuisine that uses a hot pot but, Sukiyaki is a more multifaceted dish and generally includes noodles, carrots, green onions, mushrooms, and a range of other vegetables depending on where it’s served. Another major difference is that shabu-shabu is only lightly cooked, making it closer to raw meat, while sukiyaki is meant to be fully cooked through in the hot pot.

Mushi shabu shabu

The “mushi shabu shabu” means steamed shabu shabu because the meat and vegetables are steamed. I think it’s even more delicious because it’s less heavy than cooking in the hot pot. Good food taste even better if shared with friends.

Eating out in Japan is not so expensive. Lunch is usually cheaper than dinner and you can realx and enjoy your food calmly. In addition, there are many all-you-can-eat restaurants.

Thank you for reading. I hope I can share with you soon another experience of mine in my blog.

Delivering ISI's best deals! Click here to register for the newsletter.

View all newsletters

Newsletter