PProvenance
Enter
P
Japanese · Osaka

Japanese Shabu-Shabu Broth and Table Protocol

Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) — named for the sound (shabu-shabu) of swishing thin-sliced beef through simmering broth — is Japan's most social hot pot format, combining the precision of individually cooked protein with the communal warmth of a shared table. The broth is deceptively simple: kombu dashi (kombu steeped in cold water for 30+ minutes, then slowly heated to 60°C and removed before boiling) with no additional seasoning — the simplicity of the broth is intentional, allowing each ingredient to contribute its flavour to the communal pot over the course of the meal. As wagyu, seafood, and vegetables are cooked in the broth, their proteins and fats gradually enrich it — the broth at the end of a shabu-shabu meal is one of the most complex dashi preparations achievable. Two dipping sauces: ponzu (soy + citrus + mirin, served cold) and goma-dare sesame sauce (nerigoma + dashi + soy + sake, slightly warm) — both are presented separately for guests to choose. Swishing technique: hold beef slice submerged only 10–15 seconds (A5 wagyu), or 20–30 seconds for slightly thicker cuts — the immediate removal while pink in the centre is intentional for premium beef. Vegetable cooking time is longer: shungiku chrysanthemum greens (90 seconds), napa cabbage (3 minutes), tofu (5 minutes). The ponzu-grated daikon combination — oroshi ponzu — is the canonical accompaniment that converts ponzu's straight acidity into a gentler, more layered condiment through the daikon's water content and mild enzymes.

ServesFour portions
Sourced2of 16 in BC
Cook
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

For the kombu dashi broth
20 g
kombu (dried kelp)
wiped clean with a damp cloth; do not wash
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 litres
cold water
Your own market
For the beef and table ingredients
600 g
A5 wagyu beef
sliced 1.5–2 mm thin; arranged on a platter
Your own market
200 g
shungiku (chrysanthemum greens)
leafy tips only; stems discarded
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
napa cabbage
cut into large pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
silken tofu
cut into 4 cm cubes
Origin · JapanT Amano Trading · Vancouver →
For the ponzu dipping sauce
60 ml
60 ml
citrus juice (yuzu or sudachi)
freshly squeezed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
mirin
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the oroshi ponzu condiment
150 g
daikon radish
finely grated; excess liquid not pressed out
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the goma-dare sesame sauce
90 g
nerigoma (white sesame paste)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
dashi
kombu dashi, reserved from the broth
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 ml
ponzu
from the prepared ponzu above
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15 ml
sake
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the zosui closing
400 g
pre-cooked short-grain rice
rinsed of excess starch
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
eggs
beaten
Your own market

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Combine the kombu and cold water in the shabu-shabu pot. Steep at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes. Place the pot over medium heat and raise the temperature slowly. At 60°C — the water will show faint movement and wisps of steam but no bubbles — remove the kombu immediately. The broth is ready when it holds a steady, gentle simmer and carries the clean marine scent of kombu without any bitterness.
2
While the broth heats, combine the soy sauce, citrus juice, and mirin to make the ponzu. Keep cold. Whisk together the nerigoma, reserved kombu dashi, ponzu, and sake to make the goma-dare; it should be smooth, pourable, and slightly warm at service. Grate the daikon finely and combine with cold ponzu to make oroshi ponzu. Set all three condiments at the table in separate vessels.
3
This is where the dish lives or dies. Once the broth holds a gentle simmer — never a rolling boil — lift a single slice of A5 wagyu with chopsticks and swish it through the broth for 10 to 15 seconds only. The slice should be pink at the centre and barely opaque at the edges when removed. Eat immediately with ponzu or oroshi ponzu. Do not hold the cooked beef in the broth; overcooking is irreversible. Each guest cooks and eats piece by piece throughout the meal.
4
After the first round of wagyu, introduce the vegetables in sequence. Add shungiku tips and napa cabbage; the greens are ready in 90 seconds (tender, vivid, not collapsed), the cabbage in 3 minutes (translucent, yielding at the thickest part). Add tofu last and cook for 5 minutes until heated fully through — it will be uniformly warm to the touch but hold its shape without crumbling. Skim the broth surface with a fine-mesh skimmer every 10 minutes to maintain clarity.
5
At the meal's close, add the pre-cooked rinsed rice to the enriched remaining broth. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat. Pour the beaten eggs in a slow circle over the surface and do not stir; the residual heat sets the egg in soft, loose ribbons. The zosui is ready when the egg is just set — silken, not rubbery — and the rice has absorbed the broth to a loose porridge consistency.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — A5 wagyu (BMS 10–12) machine-sliced to 1.5 mm; house-made ponzu with freshly pressed yuzu; nerigoma ground in-house; kombu from Rishiri or Rausu.
02
Estate — A4 wagyu or quality domestic wagyu sliced to 2 mm; ponzu made with sudachi or kabosu; quality commercial nerigoma; good-grade Hokkaido kombu.
03
Market — Well-marbled domestic beef sliced thin by the butcher; bottled ponzu adjusted with fresh citrus; commercial sesame paste thinned with dashi; standard dried kombu.
04
House — Any thinly sliced well-marbled beef; bottled ponzu used as-is; tahini substituted for nerigoma with a drop of sesame oil; standard kombu from a general grocery.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Sight. Kombu removed at 60°C: water shows faint movement and wisps of steam but no bubbles — the surface is calm, not turbulent.
◇Smell. Broth at the correct temperature carries clean marine kombu scent; any hint of bitterness signals the kombu was held too long or the heat rose too high.
◇Sight. A5 wagyu correctly swished: edges opaque, centre still pink — not grey, not translucent raw.
◇Touch. Tofu ready after 5 minutes: uniformly warm through when pressed lightly but holds its cube shape without crumbling.
◇Sight. Zosui egg set: beaten egg poured in a circle forms soft, loose ribbons that hold their shape on the surface — not liquid, not rubbery.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies on the swishing time: A5 wagyu held in simmering broth beyond 15 seconds loses the barely-set, fat-bloomed interior that defines shabu-shabu's premium beef experience.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Aramasa No. 6 X-type Junmai Ginjo
Aramasa Shuzo · Yamagata
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Sake
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

T Amano Trading
Vancouver · silken tofu
→
Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · soy sauce
→