Your server probably won’t stick around while the broth is coming to a boil—they’ll be back in the kitchen grabbing your meat and vegetables.
If you’re not sure how to work the burner, flag down someone at the restaurant and ask them to assist you.
Don’t worry, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy all of the flavors in the broth later after you cook your food in it!
Hard vegetables like carrots, bok choy, broccoli, mushrooms, and peas will take around 3-5 minutes to cook, while leafy vegetables will cook faster. If you’re not sure how long to cook something, ask your server what they recommend. [2] X Research source Feel free to start cooking your meat while you wait for the vegetables to cook through.
You may be a little worried about your meat cooking all the way through if it’s your first time eating shabu shabu. That’s normal, but still try to avoid leaving it in the broth for too long or dumping all of it in the broth at the beginning of your meal. If you overcook the meat, it will develop an unpleasant taste and texture.
Depending on your preference, you may want to cook your dumplings for longer than 5 minutes (you may be able to cook them for as long as 9 minutes). If you’re not sure, or if you’re worried about your dumplings not being cooked enough, see what your server suggests. [3] X Research source
If you’re not sure which sauce is which, your server can help. Usually, sesame sauce is lighter and creamier while ponzu is darker and not as thick.
Don’t feel like you need to top your entire plate of rice with meat and vegetables before you can start eating. Once you’ve got a few cooked pieces of food on your plate, enjoy! If you don’t like rice, feel free to eat your meat and vegetables by themselves.
If you run out of meat or vegetables and you’re still hungry, ask your server for some more. Depending on where you’re eating, you may need to pay for a second helping, so double check first.
