Shabu-shabu and Sukiyaki Hotpot Philosophy

Ingredients

• For the shabu-shabu broth
• 1 piece (10–15 cm) kombu, cold-steeped 30 minutes; removed as water reaches 60°C
• 2 litres water
• For the shabu-shabu beef
• 600 g wagyu rib-eye or sirloin, A5 grade, sliced 1–2 mm; brought to body temperature before service
• For the goma-dare
• 3 tbsp sesame paste (nerigoma)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3–4 tbsp dashi, added gradually to reach dipping consistency
• For the ponzu
• 100 ml ponzu, served at table as the second dipping sauce
• For the sukiyaki warishita (Kanto style)
• 200 ml dashi
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 100 ml mirin
• 2 tbsp sugar
• For the sukiyaki beef and accompaniments
• 600 g wagyu sirloin or rib-eye, sliced 2–4 mm
• 4 eggs, raw, beaten individually in small bowls (tokitama)
• 300 g silken or medium-firm tofu, cut into large cubes
• 150 g shiitake and enoki mushrooms, stems trimmed
• 200 g Chinese cabbage (hakusai), cut into wide ribbons
• 100 g mizuna, trimmed
• 100 g gobō (burdock root), peeled and cut on the diagonal
• For the shabu-shabu accompaniments
• 300 g firm tofu, cut into cubes
• Finishing (shared)
• 200 g cooked short-grain rice, for zōsui from the sukiyaki broth, if desired

Method

1. 1
   Cold-steep the kombu in 2 litres of water for 30 minutes. Place the pot over medium heat and monitor closely. Remove the kombu the moment the water reaches 60°C — before it comes to a simmer. The broth must be completely transparent; cloudiness at this stage indicates the kombu has steeped too long or the water heated too rapidly.
2. 2
   Whisk together the sesame paste, soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar for the goma-dare. Add dashi a tablespoon at a time, stirring until the sauce reaches a consistency that coats a spoon without pooling. Prepare fresh on the day. Set both goma-dare and ponzu in separate dishes at table.
3. 3
   Rest the sliced wagyu at room temperature until the surface no longer feels cold to the touch — the fat must begin to soften before contact with the broth. Cold fat requires extended swishing time, which over-sets the muscle.
4. 4
   Bring the kombu broth to a gentle simmer at table. Each diner holds a slice of wagyu by chopstick and swishes it through the broth for 5–10 seconds only — 5–8 seconds for A5 grade. The dish lives or dies here: the exterior must whiten while the centre remains distinctly pink; a fully cooked, grey slice has lost the silky rendered fat that is the entire point of the preparation. Use goma-dare for the most heavily marbled pieces, ponzu for the leaner cuts.
5. 5
   As the meal progresses, add firm tofu, mushrooms, and vegetables to the broth between rounds of beef. The broth will gradually deepen in colour and flavour as wagyu fat renders into it. At meal's end, the enriched broth is suitable for a zōsui finish: add cooked rice, stir in a beaten egg, and simmer briefly.
6. 6
   For sukiyaki (Kanto): combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves, forming the warishita. Pour into a flat iron sukiyaki pan set over a table burner. Lay the wagyu slices into the warm warishita in a single layer. The meat is ready when it changes colour at the edges but remains supple — do not wait for full browning.
7. 7
   Add ingredients to the sukiyaki pan in sequence: mushrooms first, then gobō and firmer vegetables, then Chinese cabbage and mizuna, then tofu last. If the warishita reduces and the sauce threatens to over-sweeten, top up with dashi rather than allowing further concentration. Each piece is lifted directly from the pan and drawn through the individual bowl of raw beaten egg before eating; the egg should coat the hot beef in a thin, silky film as its proteins partially set on contact.