Why not make your dinner a little more fun? Shabu Shabu is a great way to make your dinner lively and interactive. It’s also very nutritious. You can enjoy meat, lots of vegetables, noodles and rice, all in one go. No need to fight for what to put in the dish, as everyone can eat whatever he or she wishes. The recipe is great for vegetarians who eat fish, as the broth is fish-based and you can just take out the meat from side dishes.
This shabu-shabu table cooking recipe is for a three-course meal.
Course 1: enjoy meat and vegetables
Course 2: noodle soup
Course 3: fried rice
But, you can pick and choose a course you want if this is too much.
If you don’t want to do table cooking, you can use the same broth and ingredients to make a noodle soup.
Shabu shabu means ‘swish swish’ in Japanese which describes stirring ingredients in the boiling broth. This version is Korean style because we’re using spicy Korean broth and adding kalguksu (Korean hand-cut noodles) and kimchi fried rice course. It tastes so much better than restaurants because you can use good quality ingredients at home.
Korean Hot Pot, Shabu Shabu 3 Course
Equipment
1 Shallow pot
1 Portable stove You can also use fondu pots for individual set up
Ingredients
Broth (if making own broth)
- 13 cups Water
- 30 Dried anchovies (large) OR you can use store bought beef or chicken broth
- 1 Green Onion
- 1 Dried Red Chili Pepper optional
- 1 tsp Gochugaru Vary amount depending on your tolerance
- 1 TBS Gochujang Vary amount depending on your tolerance
- 2 TBS Guk-ganjang (soy sauce for soup) OR use regular soy sauce but add 1 more spoon
- 1 TBS Garlic
- pinch Black Pepper
- 3 TBS Sake or White Wine optional
Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Vinegar
- 3 TBS Water
- 1/4 to 1 tsp Wasabi Vary amount to your liking
Toppings (Choose whatever you want)
- 1 LB Very thinly sliced brisket or rib eye
- 1/2 Onion
- Bok choy
- Shiitake mushroom Highly recommend to deepen the broth flavor
- King oyster mushroom
- Napa cabbage optional
- Yu choy optional
- Shanghai tips optional
- Oyster mushroom optional
- Shimeji mushroom optional
- Dumplings optional
- Rice cake optional
- Shrimp optional
- Clams optional
- Fish Cakes optional
2nd Course: Noodles
- Kalguksu (Korean hand-cut noodles) or noodle of your choice
3rd Course: Fried Rice
- 1 cup Cooked rice OR 1 Korean instant rice
- 4 oz Kimchi (finely chopped)
- 1 handful Seaweed (crumbled)
- 1 TBS Sesame oil
- Egg
Instructions
- Warning: Portable gas stoves are technically designed for outdoor use although a lot of Koreans use it indoors. If you are using a portable gas stove, do not use a very large pot that covers the part where butane gas is housed. If it gets overheated, it can explode. If you want to be super safe, you can use portable electric stove or fondu pots.
Prep
- Add anchovies in a mesh ball and add all other broth ingredients. Let it come to boil and let it boil on high heat for another 15 min. If you don't have a mesh ball, you can boil anchovies in water first for 15 min then strain the broth and add seasoning.
- Prepare mushrooms and vegetables of your choice. Cut off roots if any. Wash thoroughly under running water and drain.
- Prepare dipping sauce.
- If you can't find thinly sliced beef at a store. Sliced them yourself as thinly as possible (the thinner the better). You can roll the beef for nice presentation.
- (OPTIONAL) You can buy pre-made noodles (Kal-Gul-Su) from a Korean grocery market or make it from scratch. If you don’t want your soup to get starchy. Cook noodles separately in boiling water just underdone and wash thoroughly with cold water and drain then add to the hot pot.
- (OPTIONAL) Prepare fried rice mix. On a bowl or plate, place cooked rice. Add finely chopped kimchi, sesame oil and seaweed bits (break a sheet of dried seaweed in a zipped bag) on top. Add a cracked raw egg on top. (This mix will be added and cooked at the very end of the meal.)
Course 1
- Pour the broth in a pot and place it on the portable stove. You don’t have to start with all the broth you made. You can start with some then add more as the liquid evaporates while eating.
- Warm the broth on high heat. When it starts to boil, put some vegetables in the broth. Let each person dip a piece of beef in the broth to cook individually. Dip in the dipping sauce and eat with vegetables. Keep adding more broth as the broth gets boiled down and becomes thick. You can change the heat level as needed. (e.g., If it’s boiling too fast, turn it down. If there’s too much stuff and the soup is not boiling, turn it up.)
Course 2 - Noodle Soup
- After finishing the beef & vegetables, add the Korean style handmade noodles (Kalguksu) into the broth and boil on high heat for 5-10 min. Turn off the heat once the noodles are cooked.
Course 3 - Fried Rice
- Remove all remaining solids and noodles from the soup. Leave a very small amount of broth at the bottom. Add the rice mix in and stir-fry on high heat for 3 min. Spread out and pat the rice so it’s level and turn down the heat to low. Leave it for 5-10 min to form a crispy crust at the bottom. Turn off the heat and enjoy your fried rice! Add dipping sauce or more kimchi to your liking.
Notes
How can I make a non-spicy version?
This dish is really nice with a spicy kick. If you must make a mild version, reduce or omit dried chili peppers, red chili flakes and red chili paste from broth and seasoning ingredients.
You may need more soy sauce or salt to season it because you are losing some salty taste in red chili paste. How much broth do I need to make?
The basic amount in this recipe is for two people, plus extra broth to keep adding to the boiling mix. But the amount may vary depending on how much meat and vegetables you want to eat and how fast you eat it. If you have big eaters, you will need much more broth. The more people you are serving, the more important to remember the broth will boil down as you cook. Consider any extra amount you may need. Also, remember the seasoning amount should increase as the broth amount increases. What other ingredients can I use?
You can also add fishcakes, dumplings or any other meat as long as it's thinly sliced.
You can use any vegetables you like as long as it doesn't require a long time to cook or has strong flavors that will alter the taste of the soup. You can try things like potatoes if you add them in the beginning and let it cook for awhile. However, do not add too many starchy vegetables or noodles, as they will start to thicken your soup too much. What if I don't have a portable stove? Can I still enjoy this dish?
It wouldn't be the same experience. But, you can use the recipe to make a nice noodle soup. Just make the same broth. Then, add vegetables and noodles and boil on high heat until noodles are cooked. Add slices of beef at the very last minute so it's not over cooked. Serve it in a large bowl with some dipping sauce on the side. Do I have to do all three courses?
No, you don't have to do course #2 (noodles) or course #3 (fried rice). You can just enjoy meat and vegetables with a bowl of rice on the side.
This dish is really nice with a spicy kick. If you must make a mild version, reduce or omit dried chili peppers, red chili flakes and red chili paste from broth and seasoning ingredients.
You may need more soy sauce or salt to season it because you are losing some salty taste in red chili paste. How much broth do I need to make?
The basic amount in this recipe is for two people, plus extra broth to keep adding to the boiling mix. But the amount may vary depending on how much meat and vegetables you want to eat and how fast you eat it. If you have big eaters, you will need much more broth. The more people you are serving, the more important to remember the broth will boil down as you cook. Consider any extra amount you may need. Also, remember the seasoning amount should increase as the broth amount increases. What other ingredients can I use?
You can also add fishcakes, dumplings or any other meat as long as it's thinly sliced.
You can use any vegetables you like as long as it doesn't require a long time to cook or has strong flavors that will alter the taste of the soup. You can try things like potatoes if you add them in the beginning and let it cook for awhile. However, do not add too many starchy vegetables or noodles, as they will start to thicken your soup too much. What if I don't have a portable stove? Can I still enjoy this dish?
It wouldn't be the same experience. But, you can use the recipe to make a nice noodle soup. Just make the same broth. Then, add vegetables and noodles and boil on high heat until noodles are cooked. Add slices of beef at the very last minute so it's not over cooked. Serve it in a large bowl with some dipping sauce on the side. Do I have to do all three courses?
No, you don't have to do course #2 (noodles) or course #3 (fried rice). You can just enjoy meat and vegetables with a bowl of rice on the side.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
