Shabu shabu and sukiyaki are different Japanese hot pots. Shabu shabu is swished slice by slice through a light kombu broth, then dipped in ponzu or sesame sauce. Sukiyaki simmers in sweet soy and is dipped in raw egg. In Bangkok, “suki” usually means Thai suki: a shared broth pot with a red, spicy dipping sauce.

This shabu vs suki guide is for expats and visitors in Bangkok deciding where to eat. When a friend says “let’s get suki”, they rarely mean the Japanese dish. Below, we explain all three, set them side by side in one table, and help you choose.

In this guide

1. What is shabu shabu?
2. What is Japanese sukiyaki?
3. What “suki” means in Bangkok: Thai suki
4. Shabu vs sukiyaki vs Thai suki: side by side
5. The sauces, compared
6. Is it all just hot pot?
7. How to eat each
8. Which should you order?
9. Shabu shabu at Yuzu Suki
10. FAQ

What is shabu shabu?

Shabu shabu is a Japanese hot pot in which diners cook paper thin slices of meat, one at a time, in a light simmering broth, then dip each slice into ponzu or sesame sauce. The name imitates the soft “swish swish” of meat moving through the pot.

The dish as a named restaurant meal comes from Osaka. In 1952 Suehiro, an Osaka restaurant, gave it the name, and its president, Chuichi Miyake, registered “shabu shabu” as a trademark. Its roots are usually traced to a Chinese instant boiled mutton hot pot that reached Japan after the Second World War.

The broth is deliberately plain, typically water with kombu. Its job is to cook, not to flavour. That is why the quality of the beef and vegetables shows so clearly. Shabu shabu rewards restraint: a thin slice, a few seconds, and a broth kept at a gentle simmer.

By the end of the meal the broth has taken on the sweetness of everything cooked in it. Many diners finish with udon or rice added to the pot, so nothing is wasted.

What is Japanese sukiyaki?

Sukiyaki is a Japanese hot pot in which beef, tofu and vegetables simmer together in a shallow, sweet soy sauce, and each cooked piece is dipped in beaten raw egg. It is richer and sweeter than shabu shabu, and the liquid in the pan is a cooking sauce rather than a soup.

Sukiyaki took its modern beef form in the Meiji era (1868 to 1912), when eating beef spread in Japan. The sauce is called warishita, a mix of soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake.

Two regional styles exist:

• Kanto style (Tokyo): the warishita goes into the pan first, often with dashi, and the ingredients simmer in it.
• Kansai style (Osaka and Kyoto): the beef is seared in the pan first, then sugar, soy sauce and sake are added directly.

Beyond beef, the pan usually holds tofu, shirataki noodles, leek (negi) and chrysanthemum greens (shungiku). The beef is usually cut slightly thicker than for shabu shabu, because it cooks longer in the sauce (Hyper Japan).

What “suki” means in Bangkok: Thai suki

Thai suki is a Thai hot pot: a light broth shared at the table, into which diners add thin meats, seafood, vegetables and glass noodles, eaten with a red, sweet, sour and spicy dipping sauce called nam chim suki. It borrows the name of sukiyaki, but in method it is closer to shabu shabu.

Wikipedia puts it plainly: Thai suki “only barely resembles Japanese sukiyaki, having more in common with shabu shabu and Chinese hot pot”.

Thai suki took shape in Bangkok in 1957, when a Cantonese style hot pot restaurant opened in the Surawong area and its dish came to be called “suki” after Japanese sukiyaki. From the mid 1980s, table top suki moved into the city’s shopping malls and became an everyday family meal across Thailand.

A few points help a newcomer read a Thai suki menu:

• The pot: everything goes in together, and the broth becomes a soup you drink as you go.
• Typical additions: sliced pork, chicken or beef, seafood, fish balls, napa cabbage, tofu, glass noodles (woon sen), and an egg cracked into the broth.
• Other forms: suki nam is a single bowl of suki soup, and suki haeng is a dry, stir fried version without the broth.
• The sauce is the identity: nam chim suki carries most of the flavour.

Shabu vs sukiyaki vs Thai suki: side by side

This table puts the three dishes next to each other. It is the quickest way to see why “shabu vs suki” depends on which suki you mean.

	Shabu shabu (Japan)	Sukiyaki (Japan)	Thai suki (Thailand)
Origin	Osaka; named by Suehiro in 1952	Modern beef form from the Meiji era (1868 to 1912)	Bangkok; took shape in 1957, spread through malls from the mid 1980s
Cooking method	Swish one thin slice at a time for a few seconds	Beef and vegetables simmer together in a shallow pan	Ingredients go into a shared pot and cook together
Broth or sauce	Light kombu broth, kept at a gentle simmer	Warishita: soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake	Light, clear stock
Dipping sauce	Ponzu (citrus soy) or goma (sesame) sauce	Beaten raw egg	Nam chim suki: red, sweet, sour and spicy
Typical ingredients	Thinly sliced beef or pork, cabbage, mushrooms, tofu; udon or rice to finish	Beef, tofu, shirataki, negi, shungiku	Mixed meats, seafood, fish balls, napa cabbage, glass noodles, egg
Flavour	Clean and ingredient led	Sweet, savoury and rich	Bold and tangy, driven by the sauce
How you eat it	Cook, dip, eat, slice by slice; drink the broth at the end	Lift from the pan, dip in egg, eat; the sauce is not drunk	Ladle out meat, noodles and soup together; spoon sauce over

 

At Yuzu Suki

Yuzu Suki welcomes guests at these Bangkok branches:

• Siam Square Soi 9
• ICONSIAM
• EMSPHERE
• Mega Bangna
• Central Ladprao
• Nirvana Porch
• North Ratchapruek
• Ari

When you next want shabu shabu in Bangkok, visit the branch nearest you and take your time over the pot. The brand has a phrase for the feeling it hopes to leave at the table: a taste of happiness without end.

FAQ

Are sukiyaki and shabu shabu the same?

No. Both are Japanese hot pots with thinly sliced beef, but they cook differently. Shabu shabu swishes each slice through a light kombu broth and uses ponzu or sesame sauce. Sukiyaki simmers beef and vegetables in a sweet soy sauce called warishita, and each piece is dipped in beaten raw egg.

Is sukiyaki or shabu shabu healthier?

The difference is in the cooking liquid. The meat and vegetables cook in plain kombu broth, and the dipping sauces are used a little at a time. Sukiyaki cooks in warishita, a sauce made with soy sauce, sugar, mirin and sake, and is eaten with raw egg, so it is richer and sweeter.

What is Thai suki?

Thai suki is a Thai hot pot. Diners cook thin meats, seafood, vegetables and glass noodles in a light shared broth, then eat them with nam chim suki, a red, sweet, sour and spicy sauce. It took shape in Bangkok in 1957 and borrowed its name from Japanese sukiyaki, though it cooks more like shabu shabu.

What does suki sauce taste like?

Thai suki sauce, nam chim suki, tastes sweet, sour and spicy at the same time. It is red, built on chilli sauce with fresh chilli, garlic, lime and coriander, and many versions add fermented bean curd for a savoury depth. It carries most of the flavour in a Thai suki meal, since the broth itself is light.

Is shabu shabu just hotpot?

Shabu shabu is one kind of hot pot, known in Japan as nabe. What sets it apart is the method: a plain kombu broth, very thin slices cooked one at a time for a few seconds, and ponzu or sesame dipping sauces. Its roots are usually traced to a Chinese boiled mutton hot pot.

What is the etiquette for eating sukiyaki?

Beat a raw egg in your own small bowl before the beef is ready. Lift cooked pieces from the shared pan, dip them in the egg and eat. Add tofu and vegetables as space clears, and top up the sauce when the pan runs dry. The sauce is for cooking, so it is not drunk as soup.

What is better, shabu shabu or sukiyaki?

Neither is better; they suit different moods. Choose shabu shabu if you want clean flavours that let premium beef, pork and vegetables speak for themselves. Choose sukiyaki if you prefer a sweet, rich, savoury pan. For a mixed group, shabu shabu is often easier, as everyone cooks at their own pace.