Serves 6

8 cups water or mild broth

2 6-inch pieces of kombu

2½ pounds sirloin steak

6 leeks or 12 green onions

6 carrots

3 cups button mushrooms

1 head Chinese cabbage

1 pound tofu, rinsed and diced

• In a saucepan, combine water or broth and cleaned kombu. Bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and remove kombu. Maintain liquid at a simmer.

• Slice sirloin across the grain in paper-thin slices. (Partial freezing can make slicing easier.) Arrange slices on serving platters.

• Clean and trim leeks or green onions, cut carrots into chunks, and clean and trim mushrooms. Clean and chop cabbage. Place vegetables on serving platters. Place tofu on serving platters.

• Pour hot broth into 1 or more fondue pots and set pots over heating sources. Have guests use chopsticks to swish beef in broth to cook. Chopsticks or mesh strainers can be used for vegetables. Serve with dipping sauces and rice.

Quick-Fix Sushi

If you haven't practiced your sushi rolling technique, don't worry. Just add a little vinegar and water to cooked rice, spread it over toasted seaweed and tuck slivers of fish, shellfish or veggies in the center. Roll it into a cone shape. Repeat with remaining ingredients and stack rolled cones on a platter.