How to Make Japanese Wagyu Shabu-Shabu at Home

Shabu-shabu uses a light broth to cook thin beef slices and vegetables, with dipping sauces served separately. The aim is a clean, savoury meal, not a heavily reduced sauce. Keep the broth hot, add a few slices at a time and cook them fully before lifting them into a clean serving bowl.

Serves: 2. Beef: 200g thin-sliced Japanese A5 Wagyu. Allow: about 35 minutes, excluding defrosting and rice preparation. This version is cooked on the hob, so no tabletop burner is required.

Which beef works for Wagyu shabu-shabu?

Choose the 200g option of Japanese A5 Wagyu sliced chuck roll. Although the product page is led by 100g, the linked option supplies the 200g needed here. Check the selected weight before adding it to your basket.

The sliced format matters more to this method than a steak's grade alone. Separate the slices while cold and follow the delivered pack's instructions. Do not treat a folded stack, thick steak or burger as if it were one thin hot-pot slice.

Ingredients for two people

For the broth and ingredients

• 200g Japanese A5 Wagyu sliced chuck roll
• 1 litre prepared kombu dashi or low-salt vegetable stock
• 200g Chinese leaf cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 small carrot, about 75g, cut into thin ribbons
• 100g shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
• 150g firm tofu, drained and cut into large cubes
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• Cooked rice for two, prepared separately according to its packet instructions
• Extra hot water or unsalted stock for topping up the pot

For the two dipping sauces

• 4 tablespoons ready-made ponzu, divided between two bowls
• 1 tablespoon smooth tahini
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1–2 tablespoons water, to loosen the sesame dip

Allergens: tahini contains sesame; tofu and soy sauce contain soya. Soy sauce and ponzu may contain wheat, and some dashi or ponzu contains fish. Check every label. Tahini makes a convenient home sesame dip; it is not a claim that it is identical to every Japanese goma-dare.

How do you prepare the broth and dips?

Keep the broth lightly seasoned, because the sauces provide most of the salt and acidity at serving. Prepare the dips and vegetables before opening the beef. Set aside separate tongs for raw meat and a clean ladle or strainer for cooked food; diners' eating chopsticks should not handle raw slices.

1. Prepare the dashi or stock according to its pack, making 1 litre. Pour it into a saucepan large enough to hold the vegetables without overflowing.
2. Divide the ponzu between two small bowls.
3. Whisk the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar together. Add water gradually until the sauce can coat a cooked slice lightly. Divide between two more bowls.
4. Arrange the prepared vegetables and tofu on a clean tray. Keep the beef on a separate raw-meat plate in the fridge until needed.

How to cook shabu-shabu safely on the hob

The first batch should contain vegetables that need more cooking, followed by the thin beef. Return the broth to the boil whenever cold food or extra liquid is added, then continue until those ingredients are cooked through. A quick swish without checking the result is not a reliable cooking method.

1. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the firmer cabbage stems, carrot and mushrooms. Let it return to the boil, then simmer for about 5–7 minutes, until they soften and the mushrooms are cooked.
2. Add the softer ingredients. Add cabbage leaves and tofu. Restore boiling, then cook until the leaves are tender and tofu is hot throughout.
3. Start a small beef batch. Use the raw-meat tongs to lay a few separated slices in the hot broth. Keep them unfolded and do not add the whole 200g at once.
4. Restore the heat and cook through. Bring the broth back to the boil after the cold beef is added. Continue cooking until every slice is fully cooked, including thicker or folded areas. Follow the meat pack's instructions and do not rely on a five-second count.
5. Serve with clean utensils. Use a clean strainer or ladle to transfer cooked beef and vegetables to serving bowls. Never put cooked beef back on its raw plate.
6. Repeat. Cook the remaining slices in small batches. Top up with hot water or unsalted stock if needed, restoring boiling before treating the pot's contents as cooked again.
7. Finish at the table. Dip the cooked slices lightly in ponzu or the sesame sauce. Add spring onion and serve the rice separately.

The Food Standards Agency's cooking guidance gives 70°C in the centre held for 2 minutes, or 75°C for 30 seconds, as examples of thorough cooking. Slice thickness, starting temperature and the amount added to the broth change the cooking time. Grade A5 is not a guarantee of raw-food safety.

The Centre for Food Safety's hot-pot advice also emphasises thorough cooking and separate utensils for raw and cooked food. For UK preparation, follow FSA advice not to wash raw meat.

What makes this different from sukiyaki?

Shabu-shabu keeps the broth light and puts flavourful sauces in individual bowls. Sukiyaki cooks the ingredients in a sweeter, more concentrated sauce. Do not pour the whole ponzu or sesame dip into this pot: doing so changes the dish and can make the broth increasingly salty as it reduces.

Use the sauce lightly at first and taste a cooked slice before adding more. A small portion of highly marbled Wagyu can provide plenty of richness alongside tofu, vegetables and rice.

How do you stop the broth cooling too much?

• Cook fewer slices at once: a full plate of cold beef can overwhelm a small pan.
• Separate frozen or folded slices first: defrost fully in the fridge if frozen, and keep slices flat.
• Wait after topping up: broth needs to return to boiling after extra liquid or raw food is added.
• Keep enough liquid in the pan: ingredients should cook in hot broth rather than sit above a nearly dry base.
• Serve fully cooked beef promptly: do not leave it simmering through every later batch.
• Use stable equipment: this recipe stays on the hob. If using a dedicated tabletop appliance, follow its instructions and heat limits.

Storage and preparation before the meal

Follow the meat pack's actual chilled or frozen state and use-by date. If frozen, defrost in the fridge in a covered container below ready-to-eat food. Keep the fridge at 0–5°C and use within 24 hours of complete thawing, or sooner if the label requires it.

Keep the raw beef chilled until needed and prepare sauces with clean utensils. Do not save a dipping sauce that has been touched by raw-meat utensils. The FSA chilling and defrosting guide covers safe storage and handling of leftovers.

Ordering Wagyu for a UK hot-pot meal

Beleaev's gourmet policy gives eligible UK orders placed Monday morning to Thursday morning a 1–3 business-day delivery window. Orders placed Thursday afternoon to Sunday are dispatched the following Monday. Confirm the option offered for your postcode at checkout, including London; same-day gourmet delivery is not assumed.

Read the gourmet shipping policy before choosing your meal date. Compare the Japanese A5 Wagyu range, or use the UK buying guide to choose a different cut for another method.

Shabu-shabu questions

Can you serve the beef after a few seconds?

Do not use a fixed seconds-only rule. Cook the slices fully, restore the broth's heat after cold additions and follow the pack's instructions. A folded or thicker area needs more attention than a flat, very thin slice.

Can you use the same chopsticks for raw and cooked beef?

No. Keep a dedicated raw-meat pair separate and use clean utensils for cooked food and eating. Wash any utensil that touches raw meat before using it for ready-to-eat food.

Do you need an egg dip?

No. Ponzu and sesame sauce are the two dips in this recipe. It does not include raw egg or rely on hot meat to make raw egg safe.