Shabu Shabu Double Date

Never once, in all my time of watching anime (and that is a lot) and of being obsessed with Japanese culture, did I ever hear of Shabu Shabu.  Thanks to my wonderful husband’s recommendation, I can now share with all of you, the wonderful and addicting experience of Shabu Shabu.  We met up with some good friends in Santa Anna for a double date and some yummy food at the Shabu Shabu Bar.

What is Shabu Shabu?

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese dish in which you prepare your meal using a boiling pot of water at the table.  As you eat, you dip your vegetables and meat into the boiling pot of water and let it cook to the level of doneness you prefer.  When it is done, you dip your food into one of two delicious sauces and eat it over a bowl of rice.  When you have eaten all or most of the veggies and meat, the boiling water is combined with some of the dipping sauces, noodles, and any left over meat or veggies, and it is turned into a soup for you to eat.  I was so sad at the end of the night when I had to brush my teeth.  I wanted that taste to last forever.

We didn’t really know how to prepare everything correctly, so the amazing waiter helped us get it done correctly.  For the first sauce, we ground the sesame seeds that was placed in front of us.  A sesame sauce was added to it, along with some minced garlic, green onions, and sesame oil.  For the second sauce, it started with some ponzu, then green onion, sesame oil, and minced daikon was added.  For a little extra spice, they sprinkled some chili powder on top for me.  But for my husband, who MUST have everything spicy, they brought out a jar of some really concentrated chili oil.  It is so concentrated, that they use a dropper to put only a few drops of oil onto the food.  And believe me, you ONLY need a few drops.  I tried some of my husbands food, and my throat immediately caught on fire.  So spicy!

All good things come in time

Then they seasoned the water with a little soy sauce, green onions, garlic, and more chili oil if you want it.  Once everything was seasoned, it was time to eat.  They brought out a platter of veggies that had napa cabbage, bok choy, carrots, corn, mushroom, and tofu.  We put in the corn and the carrots in first because they take the longest to cook. A platter of protein is also provided.  I picked the pork, but they had short ribs, chicken, shrimp, scallops, salmon, and several others.  All the meat is cut thin so it cooks quickly similar to the brisket you might get at a Korean BBQ.

I had a blast putting my food to cook and trying out different combinations of the dipping sauces with all of the food.  It was so delicious and yet so healthy!  One of the few restaurants where you actually get a decent amount of vegetables to eat!  My mouth is watering right now just thinking of all that food.  By the time I had eaten most of my food, my boiling water had reduced a bit and it was time to make the soup.  I left a few pieces of meat and veggies so put in my soup because I didn’t just want noodles and broth.

Can’t get enough

The waiter came by again, and put the broth, ponzu sauce, sesame sauce, and noodles together for our soup.  By this time, my stomach was so full, but I couldn’t resist.  The broth was so flavorful and delicious.  I would stop eating for a bit, until I could feel my stomach had a little more room, then I would eat some more soup.  Shabu shabu sounds go good, that I could go for some right now.  Probably the perfect hang over food.

I had such a blast eating and telling stories with our friends, that the time flew by.  It is more of an event rather than just a meal.  Highly recommend trying it!  During the whole meal, I kept telling my husband that I am going to have to figure out how to do this at home.   It would be perfect for a dinner party in winter.  Hopefully that will be another adventure that I can share with you soon!  Until then!