Step by step

Method

4 steps

1. 1

   Bring 3–4 cups dashi or light chicken broth to a bare simmer in a wide pan with a splash of soy sauce and mirin (or a pinch of sugar). Keep it gentle — little bubbles, not a rolling boil. Have thinly sliced beef ready (shabu or sukiyaki cut).

2. 2

   Swish each slice of beef in the hot broth 5–15 seconds until the pink just fades to pale brown — it cooks crazy fast. Fish it out to a plate. Work in small handfuls so the broth stays hot.

3. 3

   Optional: wilt a handful of spinach or napa cabbage in the same broth 30–60 seconds. Taste the broth and adjust soy if it needs more savoriness.

4. 4

   Mound hot rice in bowls, drape the beef over, spoon a little broth on top, and finish with green onions and sesame. Soft, barely-cooked beef over rice is the point — don't leave it in until it toughens.