Dashi Shabu-Shabu with Homemade Ponzu and Egg Zosui

Method

1. Wipe the kombu lightly with a damp cloth and put it in a 24 cm hot pot with the water to soak for at least 1 h (overnight in the fridge is even better). Slow cold steeping gives the clearest, softest flavour.

   Add in this stepWater 1,100 mlKombu (dried kelp) 9 g

2. Make the ponzu. Bring the mirin to the boil in a small pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds to cook off the alcohol, turn off the heat and stir in the soy sauce, citrus juice, rice vinegar and bonito flakes. Leave to steep for 30 min, then strain through a fine sieve. A day or more in the fridge makes it rounder still.

   Add in this stepMirin 1 tbspSoy sauce (for the ponzu) 3 tbspCitrus juice (yuzu or sudachi, or half lemon, half lime) 2 tbspRice vinegar (for the ponzu) 1 tbspBonito flakes (for the ponzu) 2 g

   medium heat

3. Make the sesame sauce. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2 min, shaking, until fragrant and a few start to pop, then tip them out at once. Grind them in a mortar (or mini blender) for about 5 minutes until the oil comes out and they become a moist paste, then mix in the sugar, soy sauce, miso and vinegar.

   Add in this stepWhite sesame seeds 4 tbspSugar (for the sesame sauce) 1 tbspSoy sauce (for the sesame sauce) 1 tbspWhite miso 1 tspRice vinegar (for the sesame sauce) 1 tsp

   medium-low heat

4. Set the hot pot over medium heat for 12 min; when small bubbles rise from the bottom, lift out the kombu just before it boils. Add the sake, bring to the boil, add the bonito flakes and turn off the heat. Leave for 2 minutes, then strain through a sieve lined with paper towel to get a clear dashi. Don't squeeze the flakes, or the broth turns cloudy and fishy. Whisk 2–6 tbsp of this dashi into the sesame sauce, a little at a time, until it is like thick cream.

   Add in this stepSake 2 tbspBonito flakes (for the dashi) 8 g

   medium heat

5. Squeeze the grated daikon lightly and mix in the shichimi to make rosy momiji-oroshi, to serve with the ponzu. Prepare the vegetables and tofu as for basic shabu-shabu and arrange them on a platter. Take the meat out of the fridge 10 minutes before eating and lay the slices out separately; cold meat added in clumps drops the broth temperature and cooks unevenly.

   Add in this stepDaikon radish, finely grated 80 gShichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice chilli) 1 pinch

6. Add the cabbage stems, tofu, shiitake and half the long onion to the dashi and cook over medium heat for 5 min, then move the pot to a portable burner on the table, set on a flat surface in a ventilated room.

   Add in this stepNapa cabbage 120 gFirm tofu 150 gFresh shiitake mushrooms 3Japanese long onion (or leek) ½

   medium heat

7. Set the heat to medium-low heat and keep the broth at about 85–90 °C, barely moving with only the odd bubble; this temperature cooks the meat most tenderly. Swish beef for 5–8 seconds and lift it out while still faintly rosy; swish pork for 30–40 seconds until completely white with no pink at all before eating. Add the leaves, enoki, mizuna and remaining long onion as you go, and skim the foam diligently so the broth stays clear for the zosui. Use separate chopsticks for raw meat.

   Add in this stepWell-marbled beef loin for shabu-shabu, 1.5 mm thin 160 gThin-sliced pork belly for shabu-shabu 120 gNapa cabbage 120 gEnoki mushrooms 100 gMizuna or shungiku (or watercress) 60 gJapanese long onion (or leek) ½

   medium-low heat

8. For the zosui finale, skim the foam and fat from the broth and keep about 400 ml in the pot. Rinse the rice briefly in a sieve under cold water to remove the sticky starch, add it and simmer over medium heat for 4 min, then season with salt. Pour the beaten egg over in a circle, cover, turn off the heat and wait 1 minute until the egg is softly set, then scatter with spring onion. For children, pregnant women, older people or anyone with a weakened immune system, simmer 1–2 minutes more until the egg is fully set.

   Add in this stepCooked short-grain rice (for the zosui) 150 gEggs 1Sliced spring onion (for the zosui) 2 tbspSalt to taste

   medium heat