There is comfort food in every culture. Whether it’s meatloaf, a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, or barbeque, it’s there. For the Japanese and other Asian cultures, it’s Shabu Shabu, a hotpot dish of thinly sliced meats and vegetables boiled in water or a broth, and served with dipping sauces.
Even the name is comforting—it’s a rough translation of the words, “swish swish!” referring to swishing the meats and vegetables in the hot broth or the sound of the ingredients being stirred in the cooking pot.
Yuzu Shabu in Old Pasadena, owned by brothers Edward (our host) and David Liu, would be a great place to get acquainted with the dish, if you’re not already. The relatively new eatery near the corner of Fair Oaks and Green Street, is currently participating in DineLA, and serves a more than bountiful Shabu.
Suffice to say I should have brought a guest.
The Yuzu Shabu version of the dish begins with a sectioned pot of broth— half miso and half pork bone ramen. It’s set on a gas burner directly on your table, simmering through the meal, making you hungry and keeping you there. This is surrounded by a bowl of vegetables—corn, cabbage, mushroom, and cauliflower, and more, all available to you to dip into either broth to essentially create your own soup.
Along with it all are udon, ramen, or vermicelli noodles to drop into the broth, fish balls, rice and the dipping sauces—sesame sauce, ponzu, and sacha, a Taiwanese barbeque sauce. Mix them all up, compare and contrast, combine and collect, it all works together.
Starring in the collection is a choice of “entrees,” beef, chicken, pork, or seafood. We were served the dry aged beef, which Liu described as the most popular entree choice.
“It’s the most tender, it’s very soft, it just melts in your mouth,” said Liu.
Actually, everything does, after luxuriating in the hot broth. Raise your chopsticks, swish the meat in the broth for a few seconds. Add as much or as little of everything, to your bowl and repeat. And repeat. And repeat.
Shabu Shabu is the perfect bit of everything soup that you didn’t realize you were craving. Sample it once at Yuzu Shabu. You’ll be back.
Swish swish.
Yuzu Shabu is at 45 South Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA. (626) 415-9898. yuzushabu.com
