Colin: I’ll embrace this. I’m global, mate.

Anthony: Global! You? I’m Mr Worldwide.

Colin: I’m not global then, I’m universal!

Anthony: I’m Mr Worldwide, you’re still stuck in Malabar!

Colin: I’m global, just like this issue! Let’s not make it beige, let’s make it rage. It’s not a hotpot, it’s a Col-pot. Get it? And it looks like we’re going to use a good beef.

Anthony: Yes, a wagyu chuck here. And we’ll be swishing the meat around in a flavoured stock so it’s just delicious and rich. Meat is under attack, but my opinion is balance will bring you a long, happy and healthy life. And with meat I believe that means it has to be about quality over quantity.

Colin: Okay, that does make a lot of sense. So with a quality chuck I’d bring in some root vegetables and garlic, ginger, star anise and orange zest. Then a beef stock with soy sauce and mirin.

Anthony: Your contribution is the broth. Mine is the meat.

Colin: I’m the engine, you’re the oil.

Anthony: I think it’s the other way around. Anyway, it’s June, right? It’s soups, broths, comfort food. But with an Asian twist. I like the idea of building layers in this. Vegetables, mushrooms, broth. Eat the meat, drink the broth, boom. Healthy!

Colin: I think it’s about the broth, good meat, rich stock with flavour.

Anthony: Yes, a high-quality chuck is going to make all the difference to the flavour.

Colin: What do you use if you can’t get high-quality chuck?

Anthony: Scotch. But we’re using chuck. And now I will teach you something useful: so shabu shabu… it means ‘swish swish’ in Japanese. Which is exactly what we do, right? Swish the meat around in the stock?

Colin: No, I did no swishing, we just let the beef cook in our stock.

Anthony: You ruin everything!

Colin: No I don’t! This will be full of flavour.

Anthony: Yes, layers of flavour, like a fashion outfit. Layer the textures. This is what Anna Wintour would eat.

Colin: Anthony’s showing his age.

Butcher’s Cut – Wagyu Chuck
Originally bred in Japan, wagyu beef is famed for its fine fat marbling, buttery texture and intense flavour – not to mention the often hefty price tag it attracts. Wagyu chuck is taken from the neck and shoulder, and is a more affordable cut that doesn’t sacrifice flavour or tenderness.

See here for Colin and Anthony’s wagyu beef hotpot.