beautiful Sapporo

A lovely view from the office.

small angles, snowy days

[photo courtesy of Nat Andreini]

shabu shabu

It should come as no real surprise that Japanese culinary pursuits include so much more than just raw fish. Nonetheless, we find ourselves four months into our stay and only just beginning to get a grip on food preparation.

Fortunately, we were lucky enough to be introduced to shabu shabu by one of my teachers. Shabu shabu is a method of cooking which involves boiling assorted vegetables and thinly sliced meats at a small pot on your table. The specific differences between shabu shabu, nabe, and other Japanese table-top soups still eludes me, but we are enjoying this dish every few days for it's delicious flavors, healthy ingredients and simple preparation.

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To make shabu shabu, you will need a portable burner and a heavy-bottom pot. Though these burners are specially produced for indoor cooking in Japan, the type used for camping would be an acceptable substitute. Japanese ingredients can be found at gourmet grocery or Asian food stores. Any desired vegetables can be substituted (enoki mushrooms, mizuna or other Japanese greens, broccoli, spinach, etc).

Serves 4

1 medium-sized daikon (Japanse radish)

2 carrots

1/2 head of green cabbage

1 package bean sprouts

small bunch scallions

1/2 package of firm tofu, cut into 1 in cubes

1/2 - 1 pound very thinly sliced pork or beef (fatty, well-marbled cuts preferred)

1 medium-size piece of kombu (tough Japanese seaweed used for dashi stock)

1 tbs sesame seeds

8 - 10 tbs ponzu sauce

1.5 cups uncooked rice

Wash rice and steam using equal parts water or amount specified.

Place burner in the center of a steady dining table (safety first!) Fill heavy-bottom pot with water and add kombu. Heat water over low/medium heat but do not boil.

Slice carrot, daikon or any other large vegetables cross-wise into roughly 1/8" rounds or bite sized pieces. Remove tough stems. Slice scallions diagonally into 1" pieces.

Grind sesame seeds with mortar and pestle. Pour 2 tbs of ponzu sauce per person into serving dishes and top with ground sesame. Arrange meat slices on plate and bring all ingredients, including prepared rice, to table.

Remove kombu from water and discard. Bring water to a boil.

Eat up! Gather at the table and working in rounds, cook meat and vegetables as desired. Carefully add bunches of vegetables to the pot (most will take between 1-5 minutes to cook) and remove when soft. Using chopsticks, dip meat slices into water 2-3 times until barely cooked through. Dip meat and vegetables into ponzu sauce and enjoy!

We are

[in collaboration with Anna Gray and Ryan Wilson Paulsen]