Japan has a wide variety of nabe dishes, but the most typical ones are sukiyaki and shabu-shabu.
Now, all of a sudden, which one in the picture is sukiyaki?
The correct answer is here.
It may look like a similar dish, but the way you eat it and the way it tastes are completely different!
In this article, I will introduce the difference between Sukiyaki and Shabu-Shabu.
The Taste of Sukiyaki and How to Eat It
Sukiyaki is a dish of meat and vegetables cooked in a sweet and sour sauce.
Soy sauce, sugar, and mirin are used in the sauce. The meat is generally beef.
It is delicious eaten as it is, but some people dip the meat in raw egg and eat it.
The sweet taste makes it a popular choice for children.
It has a strong taste, so it is recommended to enjoy it with a refreshing drink.
Pair it with a beer, or even a soda of plum wine!
Check out this article about ume wine.
The taste of shabu-shabu and how to eat it
Shabu-shabu is where you dip the meat into boiling water and dip it into your favorite sauce.
Thinly sliced beef or pork is used.
Seafood such as crab and fish are sometimes used as ingredients for shabu-shabu.
For dipping sauces, there’s sesame sauce, ponzu, and more!
*Ponzu is one of the most commonly used seasonings in Japan.It is similar to a light dressing.
It is made from soy sauce, vinegar, citrus juice, sugar, and mirin.
Shabu-shabu has a lighter taste than sukiyaki.
It goes well with dark drinks! For example, sake, plum wine(Umeshu) on the rocks also goes well with the dish.
Sukiyaki or Shabu-Shabu. Which do you like better?
In Japan, there are both “sukiyaki specialty restaurants” and “shabu-shabu specialty restaurants.
Which one would you like to try?
Both sukiyaki and shabu-shabu are often served as home cooking in Japan. As long as you have the right ingredients, you can easily make them at home as they are simply simmered in a pot.
Please taste it!
