Shabu-Shabu: Hot Pot Etiquette, Kombu Broth, and Ponzu-Sesame Dipping Culture

Ingredients

• For the kombu broth
• 20 g dried kombu, wiped clean with a damp cloth; do not wash
• 2 litres cold water
• For the meat
• 600 g Wagyu beef, A4–A5 grade (or premium kuroge washi), machine-sliced to exactly 1–1.5 mm thickness; partially freeze before slicing for clean results
• For the vegetables and accompaniments
• 200 g shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves), stems trimmed
• 300 g firm tofu, cut into 4 cm cubes
• 200 g shiitake or other mushrooms, stems removed, caps scored if large
• 2 negi (Japanese long onion), cut on the diagonal into 4 cm lengths
• For the goma dare (sesame cream sauce)
• 5 tbsp white sesame paste (nerigoma)
• 3 tbsp dashi
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 0.5 tbsp rice vinegar
• For the ponzu dipping sauce
• 120 ml ponzu (citrus-soy sauce), good-quality prepared, or citrus juice combined with soy
• For the ponzu condiments
• 100 g daikon, finely grated; combined with a small amount of chilli to make momiji oroshi
• 1 negi stalk, finely sliced into rounds
• 20 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• For the zosui (closing porridge)
• 300 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice, rinsed of excess starch
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten; added off-heat at the close

Method

1. 1
   Combine the kombu and cold water in the shabu-shabu pot. Bring slowly to 85–90°C — the point at which small bubbles form at the base of the pot but the surface does not agitate. Remove the kombu just before the water reaches a full simmer. The broth should be faintly mineral and entirely clear.
2. 2
   Whisk the goma dare: combine sesame paste, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar in the ratio 5:3:1:1:0.5. The sauce should coat a spoon thickly and run in a slow, continuous ribbon. Adjust with additional dashi if it seizes. Divide into individual dipping bowls for each guest.
3. 3
   Set the ponzu into separate individual dipping bowls. Arrange the condiments — momiji oroshi, sliced negi, grated ginger — in small dishes so each diner may season their ponzu independently.
4. 4
   Arrange the Wagyu slices on a chilled white plate, folded into roses or fanned in overlapping layers. The visual presentation of raw Wagyu against white porcelain is integral to the service. If pre-warming plates for the meat is practised, hold serving plates at 40°C so the meat tempers gently before entering the pot.
5. 5
   This is where the dish lives or dies: each diner takes a single slice of Wagyu with chopsticks and swishes it through the broth at 85–90°C with 3–5 gentle agitations. The meat is ready the moment it turns just past pink — at 3–5 seconds for A4–A5 grade at this temperature. The broth must never reach a rolling boil; vigorous heat agitates the slice and toughens it. More than 5 passes produces an overcooked result that defeats the purpose of premium Wagyu at this thickness.
6. 6
   Introduce the vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms progressively into the broth as the meal proceeds — not all at once. Their gradual release of sweetness, collagen, and umami is the designed enrichment of the broth. The negi softens until translucent at the edges; the shungiku wilts but retains its colour; the tofu holds its cube form and absorbs the developing broth.
7. 7
   To close the meal, add the rinsed cooked rice to the now-enriched broth remaining in the pot. Simmer gently, stirring, until the rice swells and the porridge (zosui) is loose and fragrant with the accumulated dashi of the meal. Remove from heat, add the beaten egg in a slow stream, and stir once. The egg should set in soft, creamy threads — not scrambled. Serve immediately.