I love shabu-shabu style nabemono because it can only be enjoyed communally and pleases everyone from my 5 year old to my husband. Shabu-shabu is an onomatopoeia for the sound that the food makes when you swish it back and forth in the boiling broth. I giggle every time my kids say, “shabu-shabu” while they swish their meat and vegetables around. Traditionally, this gentle wafting of meat is done in only water and it’s the ingredients that you swish around in the water that add flavor. My version starts with chicken stock (or vegetable stock) and kombu because I think you end up with a more complex broth at the end. The ‘shime’, or the finish of this meal, is the best part for me - simmering the delicious leftover broth with hot steamed rice or udon noodles after all of the meat and vegetables are consumed.
To Make in Advance: Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock (See below)
Basic Shabu-Shabu Broth
Ingredients
- 2 quarts Chicken Stock or Vegetable Stock (you can substitute store bought low-sodium broth)
- 2 large 4” pieces of dried kombu
Instructions
- In a 4-quart hot pot or large saucepan, add the chicken stock and kombu. Let the kombu soak in the stock for 30 minutes without heating.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, remove the kombu. Leaving the kombu in boiling water will produce a slimy residue that will make the broth bitter; discard.
- Use the broth immediately, or let cool then refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD The Shabu Shabu broth can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.
Chicken Stock
This chicken stock uses wings and thighs because these dark meat cuts have more fat on them and retain their flavor better for a stock. If you don’t want to discard them, I like to fry them up in a little bit of oil and toss them in a little teriyaki sauce.
Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken wings
- 1 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2 spring onions or large scallions, white and light green parts, halved crosswise
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Fill a large stock pot with 3 quarts of water. Bring the water to a boil, then add the chicken, onions and salt. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced slightly and flavorful, 3 to 4 hours. Skim off any debris that floats to the surface.
- Remove the chicken and strain the liquid.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD The stock can be refrigerated for up to 1 week and frozen for up to 2 months.
Vegetable Stock
This all-purpose recipe is from my colleague Julia Heffelfinger who’s a pro recipe developer and editor. The apple is her mom’s trick; she adds a tart Honeycrisp here (but really any non-mealy apple will work) for a touch of sweetness to round out the earthy vegetables. Also, this stock is a great way to use up any vegetables scraps. She keeps a large resealable plastic bag in her freezer and any time she ends up with carrot peels, parsley stems, mushroom stems, apple cores or onion roots and peels, she sticks them in the bag. When it's full, she’ll dump it into a stock pot, cover everything with water and simmer away.
Vegetable Stock
Ingredients
- 4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
- 2 large carrots, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, halved (unpeeled)
- 1- 8-ounce package cremini mushrooms, cleaned
- 1 Honeycrisp apple, halved
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, cover all of the ingredients with 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until very flavorful, 3 to 4 hours. Strain the stock into a clean pot; discard the vegetables and aromatics.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD The stock can be refrigerated for up to 1 week and frozen for up to 2 months.