The History of Shabu-Shabu

By Hiroshi Kawabata

The Shabu-Shabu dish was invented in Japan after the war in 1952 by Tadakazu Miyake, Owner at the main Suehiro restaurant in Eiraku-Cho, Osaka.
A Chinese dish had inspired the invention of Shabu-Shabu. “Syu Wan Yan Row” is a Chinese dish of Mutton, broiled and eaten with sauces made from sesame seed or soy sauce. When Japan occupied Manchuria, many Japanese had the opportunity to enjoy this dish. Inspired by this Chinese dish, after many trials and errors, the Shabu-Shabu was invented and perfected into the popular dish we enjoy today.
The story behind the naming of the Shabu-Shabu dish is interesting as well. An employee at Suehiro was washing towels in a wooden basin as Miyake watched. Miyake realized the similarity between the gestures of washing and rinsing the towel in the basin, and the dipping of meat in the hot broth. Miyake named his invented dish “Shabu-Shabu,” similar to the swishing sounds of the towel rinsing in the water.
The widespread acceptance of this dish was due to the unique name of the dish, which sparked familiarity and interest among customers. The Shabu-Shabu soon became so popular at Suehiro that lines of customers waited to be seated in front of the restaurant for one to two hours. In the 1970s, the Shabu-Shabu became a fixture in the menus of many Japanese restaurants, as more restaurants are adding the Shabu-Shabu to their menus today.
On the other hand, Shabu-Shabu was not widespread as a recipe for home cooking. In the 1980s however, “sesame seed sauce” and “ponzu sauce” was invented and sold in grocery stores to encourage people to enjoy the dish at home. Since the preparations do not require difficult skills, Shabu-Shabu soon became a dish to be enjoyed as a family favorite.
Today, the ingredients of Shabu-Shabu is expanding for further enjoyment. Besides beef, pork and octopus along with other seafood are also popular ingredients for Shabu-Shabu. Also, soy-based soup stock along with soup stock made from Japanese sake and wine is also emerging in the market today.
In 1955, the term “Shabu-Shabu” was registered as a product name by Suehiro. To be exact, the actual term used by Miyake was “Meat Shabu-Shabu,” due to his encouragement for other restaurants to use the term “Shabu-Shabu.” The invention of Shabu-Shabu was Miyake’s strategy to counter “the low sales in sukiyaki during the summer time.” Although shabu-shabu is considered by many to be a winter dish, it is actually a summer dish. Shabu-Shabu today is considered a seasonal term for ‘summer’ in the composition of haiku.
Shabu-Shabu, A health-conscious dish
Shabu-Shabu is often referred to as a healthy dish, and this is due to the preparations. By dipping the meat into the hot broth, approximately 4% of the fat on the thin chuck eye roll is said to melt into the broth. For example, one full course serving of beef Shabu-Shabu amounts to only 534kcal, fairly low for a full dinner course.
On the other hand, the fat content of pork does not change greatly regardless of whether the meat is broiled or grilled. In comparison, any parts of beef is said to decrease in calories when dipped in hot broth. Also, another benefit of eating beef is the effective consumption of vitamins B1 and B2, which is easily affected by heat.

How to properly enjoy shabu-shabu
• Place konbu and water in a pot
• Turn the heat on, and take the konbu out as soon as the water broils
• Take the meat one piece at a time and dip it in the hot broth (approximately 10~20 seconds is best!)
• When the color of the meat changes, take the meat out from the broth and dip in ponzu or sesame sauce to enjoy
• After eating a few pieces of meat, place some vegetables into the broth
• The vegetables can be eaten as soon as they’re heated from the broth, so as not to lose the crunchy texture
• Eating the meat and vegetables together adds a healthy flavor to the palate
• The flavors can be enhanced with momijioroshi (grated radish), green onions, and/or garlic
• Adding rice cakes is also recommended, but make sure the mochi doesn’t get too soft
• Once the meat and vegetables are gone, the conclusion to the dish is udon noodles. The broth flavored from the meat and vegetables can be further enhanced with soy sauce and ponzu along with the udon. Broil lightly and enjoy.

Tips to enjoying Shabu-Shabu
• Do not cook the meat too long as the meat gets hard and the flavors escape. (Once the meat is dipped into the broth, it is best not to release the meat into the pot, especially if you want to appear “gourmet.”)
• It is best to skim the scum as often as possible for the best flavors. The scum consists of hardened protein from the meat, so neglecting the scum causes odor. Enjoy Shabu-Shabu in a clear soup broth.
• To thoroughly enjoy the flavors of Shabu-Shabu, it is best to “eat the meat first, then the vegetables.” This is because the meat will add flavor to the soup broth, which then enhances the flavors of the vegetables.

How to prepare shabu-shabu
INGREDIENTS (service 4)
18 to 20 oz beef for shabu-shabu
1 cake cotton tofu
1/4 whole Chinese cabbage
1/2 bunch shungiku chrysanthemum leaves
About 2 naga-negi onions
4 inch konbu kelp
6 5/8 to 8 1/2 cups water
-For preparing dipping sauce-
• *Commercially prepared ponzu sauce (citrus juice and soy sauce)
*Commercially prepared sesame sauce
-For condiments-
*Momiji-oroshi grated giant white radish with red pepper
*Ao-negi onion

DIRECTIONS
1. Briefly wipe the konbu kelp with a dry cloth. Soak the kelp in a pot filled with cold water for about 30 minutes.
2. Rinse the Chinese cabbage in cold water, and cut coarsely. Chop off the hard stalks of the shungiku chrysanthemum, rinse in cold water and pluck off the leaves. Cut the naga-negi onions diagonally. Cut the “cotton” tofu into bite-sized pieces.
3. Place the pot with the kelp over heat, and take the kelp out of the pot immediately before it comes to the boil.
4. Add the Chinese cabbage, shungiku, naga-negi onions and the “cotton” tofu to the pot, and simmer until heated through. Each diner picks up a piece of beef from the serving platter with chopsticks, and swishes (shabu-shabu) it to and fro in the simmering broth.
5. When the red beef becomes pink, each diner dips it in either ponzu or sesame sauce, which is mixed with momiji-oroshi and ao-negi onions sliced using the edge cut technique.
Other Shabu-Shabu menus
Shabu-Shabu is a dish that best enhances the original flavors of the ingredients. While you cannot mask the quality of the ingredients, using fresh ingredients will simply enhance the flavors of Shabu-Shabu. Also, the Shabu-Shabu does not rid the nutrients from the ingredients, a dish that encourages enjoyment of large quantities of vegetables. Many ingredients are encouraged today for use in the Shabu-Shabu soup stock.

Octopus Shabu-Shabu
The flavors of fresh Octopus Shabu-Shabu is marvelous. The octopuses must be cut into thin, almost transparent pieces to be dipped into hot broth, so that the sweetness spreads in your mouth. The crunchy texture can be addicting as well, a refreshing Shabu-Shabu dish.

Crab Shabu-Shabu
The Crab Shabu-Shabu is another luxurious dish. The crab legs must be removed from the shells and dipped lightly in the hot broth for enjoyment. The meat of the crab is so sweet that you really won’t need to dip it into a sauce. Satisfaction is ensured from the fullness of the crab meat itself. After the crab meat, the flavor of the soup can be enjoyed further with rice porridge.

Soy Milk Shabu-Shabu
Soy milk soup is used for this Shabu-Shabu dish. Along with beef, the soy milk-based soup broth goes well with pork. For the vegetables, Chinese cabbage and radish can be chosen along with mushrooms. An easy dish to prepare at home, this Shabu-Shabu dish is great for enjoying plentiful nutrients and flavors of meat and seasonal vegetables.