What is Shabu Shabu?

Our Japanese restaurant in Federal Way is pleased to offer you the unique dining experience that is shabu shabu. This Japanese version of the Asian hot pot cooking tradition brings the intimate romance of fondu to a complete and satisfying meal of beef or seafood. The name is thought to be derived from the “swish-swish” of the cooking process; meat is sliced so thin that it only needs to be dipped into the boiling broth twice before it is fully cooked. Watching the meat brown like magic in your own chopsticks is what makes shabu shabu less of a simple dinner and more of an event!

Not only is shabu shabu fun and delicious, it is also friendly to the healthy diet. While it may be comparable to Western-style hot oil fondue, it is considerably better for you. The chief ingredients of shabu shabu’s cooking medium are seaweed and bonito, which are naturally high in glutamates and heavy on savory flavor. Where an oil fondue would be giving you a lot of fat, shabu shabu broth gives you a high-mineral, zero fat agent for a fraction of the calories! Combine this with a choice cut of meat and you’ve got a Japanese experience that’s both tantalizing and nutritious!

What About Udon?

Japanese wheat noodles, including the udon we offer at our Japanese restaurant in Federal Way, are a low-fat, high-energy, high-protein addition to any balanced diet. This is because they provide you with a healthy dose of carbohydrates at a moderate glycemic index, which means that they’re able to deliver long-lasting energy with a moderate effect on your blood sugar. Choosing carbohydrates with lower glycemic indices like this translates to a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, and weight problems.

Udon is also well-known in Japan for its digestibility. Scientific tests have determined that the noodles dissolve considerably faster than other common pastas. This is due to the process by which udon is made: The kneading of the wheat flour mixes the proteins with the starch molecules to make them more available to the body’s digestive enzymes. This is why the dish is favored by people fighting the flu; as the noodle digests so easily, blood is not rushed to the stomach and is able to provide sustained energy and heat where it is needed throughout the body.