Shabu Shabu

Photo: flickr user Marshall Astor - Food Pornographer

Ingredients

pound well-marbled beef

1 medium nappa cabbage

1 can bamboo shoots - (15 oz)

7 green onions

1 bn spinach

12 shitake mushrooms

pound shirataki (yam noodles)

1 tofu cake

1 cup lemon juice

cup rice vinegar plus

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 cup dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons tamari sauce

3 tablespoons mirin alcohol burned off

ounce dried bonito flakes

1 two-inch square konbu

Preparation

Buy well marbled sirloin beef or lamb loin roast. Have your butcher cut the meat into paper-thin slices. Slices should be no larger than 8 inches by 3 inches. This make convenient bite-sized portions.

Notch decorative cross in the shitake mushroom caps. Chop the green onions diagonally into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Prepare the cabbage by trimming the bottom, and separating the leaves. Parboil the leaves 2 to 4 minutes until tender.

Cut the tofu in 1 1/2-inch squares. Bamboo shoots should be washed, and parboiled to remove any lime deposits. They should be cut into half-moon slices about 1/4-inch thick.

Arrange the meat attractively on one platter, so it is easy to pick up with chopsticks. Arrange the vegetables on another platter.

Put a 4 inch square of konbu in a large donabe. Fill the pot 3/4 full of water. Add vegetables. Bring to a boil, remove kelp. Each diner then should be shown how to swish the meat back and forth in the broth. It is from this swishing sound that shabu-shabu gets its name. When meat and vegetables are finished, add the shirataki, and each diner can enjoy a bowl of noodle soup.

Ponzu sauce: Mix all the ingredients, and let stand for 24 hours. Strain thru cheesecloth, and mature 3 months in a cool dark place, or refrigerate. Good for 1 year.