Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Japanese Cold Pork Shabu Salad with Sesame Dressing
日式冷涮豬肉芝麻沙律
Recipe overview
Thin pork slices are poached and rapidly chilled, then served with crisp cabbage, cucumber and creamy sesame dressing.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 400 g thinly sliced hot-pot pork
- 300 g cabbage
- 1, about 200 g cucumber
- 100 g carrot
- 1 litre ice water
Cucumber treatment
- 1/4 tsp salt
Sesame dressing
- 5 tbsp Japanese sesame dressing
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
02
Tools
- soup pot
- colander
- large bowl
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- whisk
- salad plates
03
Steps
Step 1
Shred the cabbage
Wash and drain the cabbage, then shred it finely.
Step 2
Cut the carrot
Peel the carrot and cut it into fine strips.
Step 3
Salt the cucumber
Slice the cucumber thinly, toss with salt and rest 10 minutes.
Step 4
Dry the cucumber
Rinse off surface salt and gently squeeze the cucumber dry.
Step 5
Mix the dressing
Whisk all sesame-dressing ingredients until smooth.
Step 6
Prepare ice water
Put 1 litre ice water in a large bowl beside the pot.
Step 7
Boil the water
Bring ample water to a full boil in the soup pot.
Step 8
Poach the pork
Spread out and poach the pork in small batches for 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 9
Check doneness
Confirm every slice is opaque, has no pink areas and is hot through.
Step 10
Chill and drain
Transfer pork immediately to ice water, then drain thoroughly.
Step 11
Plate the vegetables
Divide cabbage, carrot and cucumber among 4 salad plates.
Step 12
Assemble and serve
Top with chilled pork and spoon over dressing just before eating.
Common mistakes
- Adding too much pork at once and cooling the water.
- Removing pork while pink areas remain.
- Leaving vegetables wet and diluting the dressing.
- Dressing too early so the cabbage releases water.
Tips
Poach pork in small batches and chill it at once for safe, tender slices; drain every component thoroughly before assembly.
