The Japanese hot pot dish where thinly sliced beef is swished in boiling broth is shabu-shabu.
In shabu-shabu, diners cook paper-thin slices of meat and vegetables themselves by moving them briefly through a pot of simmering water or kombu-based dashi. The meat is then dipped into sauces such as ponzu or goma, a sesame sauce. Tofu, napa cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, and other vegetables are common additions, and rice, udon, or ramen may finish the meal.
The name is onomatopoeic: shabu-shabu imitates the swishing sound made when the meat is stirred through the hot broth. Although beef is especially familiar, pork, chicken, seafood, and other ingredients can also be used. The dish is generally lighter and less sweet than sukiyaki, which cooks ingredients in a more strongly seasoned sauce.
Shabu-shabu emerged in Japan in the 20th century and is associated with the Osaka restaurant Suehiro, whose president registered the name as a trademark in 1952. Its possible connections to Chinese and Inner Mongolian instant-boiled meat dishes remain part of the dish’s culinary history.