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1 kg (2 lb) fillet steak
1 small white Chinese cabbage
12 scallions
2 tender young carrots
500 g (1 lb) button mushrooms
8-10 cups chicken stock
Sesame seed sauce:
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons mild white vinegar
¾ cup
Japanese soy sauce
3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
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Method:
Cut steaks in very thin slices. It
is easy to do this if you partially freeze the meat, slice it while
frozen, then thaw in the refrigerator. Cut cabbage into short
lengths. Cut scallions into bite-size lengths. Cut carrots
in round slices, parboil and drain. Wipe mushrooms with damp
kitchen paper, trim ends of stalks and cut in halves unless they are
very small. Arrange food on serving platter, cover and
refrigerate. At serving time, pour stock into shabu-shabu
cooker, put lid on and fill the chimney with glowing coals. Or
use a table-top cooker or electric pan. Heat and place in the
center of the table, within easy reach of everyone. Keep stock
simmering throughout the meal, adding more as necessary. Set
each plate with a bowl, chopsticks and individual bowl for sauce.
Also set a large bowl of hot white rice on the table so guests can
help themselves. Ingredients are picked up with chopsticks and
held in the boiling stock until just done, then transferred to
individual bowls, dipped in sauce and eaten with rice. Care
should be taken not to overcook meat and vegetables. Steak
should be pale pink when cooked and vegetables tender but still crisp.
When all the meat and vegetables are eaten the stock is served as a
soup. The bowls should be lifted to the lips. Japanese
style, rather than using a spoon.
Sesame seed sauce:
Lightly brown sesame seeds in a dry pan
over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a spoon or shaking pan.
This should take about 5 minutes. Turn on to a plate to cool,
then crush in a mortar and pestle. Combine with remaining
ingredients. Alternatively, put ingredients in container of
electric blender and blend on high speed for a few seconds.
Note:
Shabu-shabu is the Japanese version of Mongolian 'fire pot' or
Singaporean 'steamboat'. Guests cook their own meal at the
table, holding pieces of stak and vegetables with chopsticks and
dipping them into boiling stock. The name comes from the gentle
swishing sound made as the food is cooked.
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