♪
Nabemono (鍋物, なべ物 nábé=cooking-pot + mónó=things), or simply nábé, refers to a variety of Japanese hot pot dishes. Most nabemono are served during the colder seasons. The pots are usually placed in the center of dining tables on a portable stove, shared by multiple people. This is considered the most sociable way to eat with friends and family. The pots are traditionally made of clay (土鍋, donabe) or thick cast iron (鉄鍋, tetsunabe). Clay pots can keep warm for a while after being taken off the fire, while cast iron pots evenly distribute heat and are preferable for sukiyaki. There are two types of nabemono in Japan, 1) lightly flavored stock with kombu such as yudōfu (湯豆腐), mizutaki (水炊き), ‘traditional’ shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ), and of course, chankonabe (ちゃんこ鍋), eaten with dipping sauces/táré to enjoy the taste of the ingredients themselves, and 2) strongly flavored stock, typically with miso, soy sauce, dashi, and/or sweet ingredients such as yosenabe (寄鍋), oden (おでん), and sukiyaki (すき焼き), eaten without further flavoring.
Unlike traditional shabu-shabu, this recipe is considered the type two, it is a modern and non-traditional nabe because it is using soy-milk in the broth, garlic, and spicy Chinese doubanjiagn, none of which are ingredients used in traditional Japanese cuisine. Whoever originated it was brilliant! I do own a clay pot and table top gas stove. However, for ease of reaching (less height), I have been using an electric skillet too.
Shabu-Shabu with Spicy Soy Milk Broth • Tonyu Yakuzen Shabu-Shabu 豆乳薬膳 しゃぶしゃぶ
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
Shabu-shabu pots are usually placed in the center of dining tables, shared by multiple people. This is considered the most sociable way to eat with friends and family. Electric skillet works very well for this “cooking at the table” one-pot dish.
INGREDIENTS
• 900 g/ 2 lb shabu-shabu meat [1], sliced paper-thin beef strip loin, rib eye or chuck roll -or- pork loin
[1]
¹ Skip for vegetarian/vegan
² If thinly sliced meats are not available at your butcher, freeze the meat and slice thinly or use mandoline slicer.
For the vegetables:
• 1 leek, long, thinner with more white part, sliced 1cm/ ½”-thick bias-slices
• 1 big bunch mizuna greens (Japanese/spider mustard) cut in 7cm / 3″
• 1 bunch Chinese garlic chives cut in 7cm / 3″
• Other optional vegetables: enoki, shiitake or shimeji mushrooms, nappa/Chinese cabbage, moyashi/bean-sprouts, shirataki/yam noodles[2], harusame/rice/starch noodles[2], …
• 1 package soft/silken tofu, cut into 8 pieces, and let sit in a strainer for 10 minutes to drain well
[2]
¹ Shirataki (yam noodles) – before placing on the platter to be cooked again in the seasoned broth, shirataki must be drained from its package in a strainer, rinsed well, boiled in a small saucepan for 5 minutes and drained. This helps to remove excess liquid, and shirataki to absorb the broth flavor.
² Harusame (rice/starch noodle) – before placing on the platter to be cooked again in the seasoned broth, harusame must be reconstituted or boiled according to the instructions on the package.
For the udon noodles:
• 150 g/ 5 oz dried udon noodles, boil-cook slightly less time than the packaging instruction (rinsed very well to wash off the saltiness)
• 4 stems green onions thinly sliced – for topping over noodles (optional)
• ground black pepper (optional)
• ground sansho – Japanese pepper – but there is no peppery taste, it has citrus-like aroma/taste (optional)
For the broth:
• 1 ~ 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp finely minced/grated ginger
• 2 cloves minced/grated garlic
• 1 Tbsp doubanjiagn (Chinese chili paste)
• 500 ml (2 cups) unsweetened soy-milk
• 700 ml (3 cups) water
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy-sauce
• 1 Tbsp ground sansho, a key flavor for the broth
. . .Sansho is called Japanese pepper, but there is no peppery taste to it. It has citrus-like aroma/taste.
• Have some water available in a pitcher at the table in-case broth evaporates too much and some needs to be added.
DIRECTIONS
◊ Prepare all the ingredients and place them in a large platter. Put the meat slices rolled for easier pick on a platter, noodles on/in platter/bowl, and the sliced green onions in a small bowl.
◊ In a medium-sized sauce pan, add sesame oil, ginger, garlic, doubanjiagn, and stir-fry. When fragrant (~30 seconds), add soy-milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5~10 minutes.
◊ Place the skillet or shabu-shabu pot-and-stove in the center of the table setting. Strain the broth made in the saucepan into the skillet. Add soy-sauce and sansho, turn the heat to medium and bring the broth to simmer, at barely boiling point.
◊ Start by placing some of the leek in first, and then a little of each of other ingredients. Now, everyone can participate in cooking for oneself.
◊ How to cook / eat: Lightly swish-swish (shabu-shabu) meat so that it moves around freely in the broth until red/pink turns white but don’t overcook. The mizuna and chives (and most of the vegetables) are safe to eat raw, so they can be dipped in for a few seconds to keep their crisp texture. Vegetables/meats are cooked a little at a time, unless, you are super hungry.
◊ After all of the ingredients have been eaten, add the cooked noodles to the pot and heat. Ladle the remaining broth and noodles into individual bowls and season, sprinkle with green onion and pepper or sansho to taste.
Note: Although noodles (starch) are eaten at the end, I prefer to have my bowl of rice to eat while I am enjoying the vegetables and meats. This is totally optional.
~ どうぞめしあがれ • Douzo Meshiagare ~
Vegetables : mizuna, nappa cabbage, leek, shirataki, shimeji mushrooms, tofu and carrots for color/accent (the Japanese market was out of Chinese chives)
♪
So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
♪
I love your recipes
Thank you very much, Pauline.
This looks fabulous (and your photographs are lovely). This is definitely one to try.
Hi Georgina, Thank you and yes, definitely try it.
Waw, fae! This looks something special & so inviting too! Another must make for sure!
Oh Sophie, it is so much fun to sit around, chat and at while participating in cooking.
Now I want shabu-shabu! It’ll be on my dinner menu this week! Thanks, Fae!
Oh, we had it tonight too! I made it a little spicier this time. Yum!
Hi Fae, I posted my “shab-shab” and linked back to yours. My photo’s are iffy and I forgot to take a pic of the sauces before I used them as a broth!
What a beautiful “setting” for a table to share with friends! I was wondering that I would be great be seated at your table and listening at your amazing stories!
It would be my honor to have you at my table and share a hot-pot meal and stories.
So vibrant and healthry’
Exactly. A fund meal!
Never took an attempt to arrange a shabu shabu at home but after reading your post … seems like, it’s possible and kind of easy to put everything together
Thank you for the great fun idea though it’s gonna be high risk fun
Wish me luck so that I don’t invite any disaster on the table 
Hi Nusrat! No, no, no, there would be no disaster on the table. Your family/friends would love it! Go for it! 😀
I got nostalgic about my trip to Japan after reading this. Loved the vegetarian version when I had visited there and your dish looks great!
Yes, the beauty of these Japanese one-pot dishes is that you can skip the meats and appreciate the flavor of the vegetables in tasty dipping sauces.
Wonderful recipe Fae, I love hot pot meals, its so social, a great way to share food with friends and family:)
Oh, I love them too, dear Lily!
I’m such a huge fan of Japanese cuisine. Your shabu-shabu looks so enticing Fae. Beautiful job!
Thank you, Lindy. I get more Japanese as I get older. Japanese food gives me that satisfaction of being home.
We used to have a cottage near a Japanese restaurant that served these. Always ordered it in winter. Soooo good!
Oh, how wonderful!
Thanks for introducing me to Shabu Shabu, it looks lovely
I love your photos of it!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
You’re welcome Sweet Uru, and thank you for your kind comment.
This looks amazing! I will save it to try later!
You will like it, dear Olga!
Ahhh thank you Fae! I will use this as a reference. I am still not sure if I made the traditional, but all I know is I loved it!
If you had to use dipping sauce(s), it was the traditional. I’m glad you like it. It is definitely an experience! 😛
Yes it must have been but I so laughed at myself. I did not just dip, I sort of transferred cooked portions to the dipping bowl snd ate from there out of the sauce! Hehehehe. Language problems!
Now, that is smart, less fussy way to do it! 😀 )))
I don’t enjoy Japanese cuisine much but this is such a lovely recipe and you are brilliant xx
Thank you, Maulshri!
What a beautiful dish–so fresh and colorful! I love how the carrots are cut into flower shapes!
Thank you, Nancy. Fresh, healthy and very pleasing.
What a lovely looking dish, Fae! I have never had it and I’m totally intrigued by it. I love the social side of this this. It is such a nice way to eat a meal with your family and friends!
Originally, all nábé/pot dishes were vegan, simple winter one-pot meals. Meats (including seafood which you and I are not too keen about) were added as they became affordable for non-royal/rich people. Through dipping sauces/táré flavoring was added to otherwise bland, boiled vegetables and enhanced to exquisite taste to the palate. This type of nábé like sukiyaki (sweet broth), has the flavoring already in the broth. Unless you try them in a specialty restaurants, I recommend to make them at home.
OISHISOU! Looks fantastic, Fae-san! I love NABE for winter time, I miss it a lot. Using the ingredients I can get in Asian supermarket here, I am cooking ODEN tomorrow for a friend and my family.
It is a such fun to share a big steaming pot with friends and family. 
– Sugoku oishii’katta desu! Especially, my son was home and three of us ate to our heart content.
– Oden is such a flavorful, wonderful dish too. I had all the ingredients for it and was going to make it for my son too, but did not happen. I guess just the two of us enjoy oden tomorrow too! 😀 )))
Shabu Shabu sounds so cute Fae
Yes, I think shabu-shabu (swish-swish) sounds cute too. It really is a fun dish to have in a group. I’m glad you liked the post.
What a wonderful twist on a traditional shabu shabu Fae. I’ll try this soon, i have a tabletop induction cooker
Since returning from Japan, every Japanese dish I made, I thought of you, that you were going through a Japanese food phase. I hope there were at least a couple that were new to you.
What a beautiful presented recipe with all those fresh and pretty colors, perfect Fae
Thank you so much, dear Linda. It was a good healthy meal.
This looks amazing, Fae. I love shabu shabu, but haven’t had the kind with tofu broth, which I really love in Korean food. Look at those beautiful carrots. Your attention to detail is impeccable. Gorgeous.
Thank you, Sweet Amanda. Yes, you are right. Koreans have somewhat similar tasting soup made with kimchi and tofu (dubu jjigae I think), which is spicy and so~ good. This shabu-shabu is not as spicy, and the soy-milk makes it creamy tasting, which should please many palates.
My friend Junko makes this! Looks fabulous Fae!
I hope Junko-san makes them for you too!
Fae, it must be so nice to come round to your house to eat. I really think you must be the perfect hostess. I love your little details especially the carrot flowers.
Oh, Maria, the carrots were a last moment touch, to add accent color. 😀 ))) I love watching my company eat with contentment. Therefore, I do like to cook good food. So, when are you coming over?
Such a wonderful looking dish, Fae! I think this recipe is proof that the “traditional” ones aren’t always the best. I imagine this style of dining creates a fun atmosphere at meal time.
Delicious!
Yes, you are absolutely right! It sure is so much fun to cook together while eating!
Stunning presentation!
Thank you, Ronit!
This looks great! I wonder if a fondue pot would also work?
I have never used a fondue pot, but if it at least has a simmering feature, can’t think why not.
I never thought to use an electric skillet!
Must add this to my list of necessary kitchen tools :p
Yes, Mimi! Electric skillet is not expensive and you can use it for many other cooking needs.
This will add a great new touch to Shabu-Shabu, one of my favorites.
Yes, it does. Traditional one is boiled vegetable with choices of delicious dipping sauces. Whereas, this one, is a spicy and adventurous version. 😀 )))
Hello Fae, this looks just wonderful – you always have some unusual foods to share and this soy milky broth is no different. I was trying to name all those veggies as a test to myself
Beautiful!
Thank you, Loretta. This was a good find and I made it this weekend when my food lover son was home. We loved it!
What a beautiful presentation!
Thank you, Tina!
This looks wonderful; great for a small party. Can’t wait to try it!
You will have fun and be very pleased. Make sure you get the sansho, which adds so much to the flavor and aroma!