Japanese Sesame Sauce For Shabu Shabu Recipes

SHABU-SHABU HOTPOT

Steps:

• Cut the konbu into 2-3 short pieces and place in a pot with 1L (2.1pt) water. Soak for 30 minutes.
• Bring the water with konbu to a boil over high heat. As soon as small bubbles start rising, remove the konbu (note 7). The broth is ready for Shabu-shabu.
• Cut Chinese cabbage leaves crosswise into 4cm (1½") long pieces. If the leaves are very wide, cut the leaves vertically in half first.
• Cut shallots diagonally into 10cm long pieces. Cut shiitake mushrooms in half diagonally (note 2). If chrysanthemum leaves are long, cut them into two.
• Rinse shirataki and spread the bunch of strands on the cutting board, then cut into two or three portions so that each noodle is short (easier to pick them up).
• Plate the vegetables and beef slices on a large serving plate, clustering each ingredient together (see the photo in the post).
• Finely grate roasted sesame seeds in a mortar & pestle until they become slightly wet (oil from sesame seeds).
• Add the remaining Sesame Sauce ingredients to the mortar. Mix the sauce mixture well so that there are no lumps of miso paste. Leave it until required.
• In the centre of the dining table, place the broth in a pot on a portable cooktop with a ladle and a bowl of water next to it.
• Place the plate of meat and vegetables near the cooktop and two medium-sized bowls per diner with Sesame Sauce and Ponzu in each bowl.
• Bring the broth to a boil.
• Pick a slice of beef with chopsticks and shake a few times in the boiling water (about 10 seconds or so) to cook the meat. Then, dip the meat in the sauce of your choice and eat.
• Cook all the meat first so that you will have a better broth to cook the vegetables in.
• Add a small amount of vegetables of your choice to the broth and cook until tender. Dip the meat in one of the sauces to eat.
• After cooking beef slices, scum will surface. Use the ladle to remove the scum (try not to take too much broth with it) and wash it off in the bowl of water. Repeat this throughout the cooking as you see scum surfacing.

JAPANESE SESAME SAUCE FOR SHABU SHABU

Steps:

• Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan until you hear 4-5 pops. Remove from heat. Grind sesame seeds in a mortor or a coffee grinder. You do not need to to grind completely smooth.
• Add all the seasonings with ground sesame seeds. If you want to make this without the alcohol content, cook off alcohol from sake for about 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
• Use the sauce for dipping shabu shabu pieces.

SHABU SHABU WITH DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• Arrange the meat attractively on a round platter, so that each slice can be easily picked up with chopsticks or a fondue fork. Arrange vegetables on a second platter.
• Fill a hot pot or nabe pot 2/3 full of dashi set on a burner on the table. Each diner picks up a piece of meat from the serving platter and swishes it around in the simmering broth until the red meat becomes pink, or cooked to the degree desired. Diners may alternate between meat and vegetables. The tofu breaks easily, so be careful when adding it to the pot. Diners eat from the pot, dipping the food into the dipping sauces which are placed in individual cups at each person's place.
• Combine the water and kelp in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil, removing the kelp just before water boils since it emits a strong odor. If the fleshiest part of the kelp is still tough, return it to the water for a few more minutes, along with a little cold water. (Soft kelp means sufficient flavor has been extracted.) Remove the kelp and bring stock to a full boil.
• Add 1/4 cup cold water to bring the temperature down quickly and add the bonito flakes. Bring to a boil, and then immediately remove from the heat. (If bonito flakes boil too long, the stock becomes bitter.) Allow the flakes to settle to the bottom of the pan, then filter the stock through cheesecloth. Yield: About 2 quarts
• Combine the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for a few minutes to reduce by 1/3, then remove from heat and cool. Stir in vinegar to taste. Pour sauce into individual cups.
• Toast the sesame seeds in a heavy pan until lightly browned. Transfer warm seeds to a mortar and grind to a paste, or whirl in a blender. Add the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake, and mix well, using a spatula to blend and smooth the sauce. Add cayenne to taste. Pour sauce into individual cups.