The Art Of Japanese Hot Pot: Breathing Life Into Antique Serveware

Japanese antique hot pots, or nabe, are a staple in Japanese cuisine and have been for over a thousand years. They are still very popular today and are a great way to learn about Japanese culture and food.

Nabe is a catch-all term for any Japanese hot pot dish. It is a communal meal, similar to fondue, where everyone sits around the table and takes food straight from the pot. It is a great way to warm up during the cold winter months and is a balanced, nutritious meal with a mix of protein and vegetables.

There are many different types of nabe, including regional variations unique to certain parts of Japan. Some popular variations include yosenabe, shabu-shabu, mizutaki, nabeyaki udon, chanko nabe, and tomato nabe.

If you want to try making nabe at home, you will need the right equipment and ingredients. A traditional Japanese earthenware pot called a donabe is ideal for cooking hot pot dishes, but you can also use a large braiser, flat-bottomed wok, or Dutch oven. You will also need a portable stove, cooking utensils, serving dishes, and a side tray for holding uncooked ingredients.

For the ingredients, you will need a flavorful broth as the base of your meal. Authentic Japanese hot pot recipes typically use dashi, a Japanese soup stock made from kombu, bonito flakes, and dried mushrooms. You will also need vegetables, proteins such as thinly sliced meat or tofu, mushrooms, and seasonings like sake, mirin, and soy sauce.

To cook Japanese hot pot, first prep your veggies and proteins in advance. Then, gather everyone around the table and heat the pot with water and dried kombu on medium-low heat. Once heated, remove the kombu, bring the water to a boil, and add katsuobushi. Let it simmer, turn off the heat, and let the mixture steep. Strain the stock, add soy sauce, mirin, and sake, and bring to a simmer again. Set up your table with serving bowls and plates, and get your portable stove ready. Bring the soup broth to a boil and add your ingredients, starting with the ones that take longer to cook. Serve and enjoy!

What is a Japanese hot pot?

A Japanese hot pot, or nabe, is a communal meal cooked and served in the same pot. It is a staple of Japanese cuisine and has been popular for over a thousand years. Nabe is a one-pot dish that combines different types of meat or vegetables, which are cut into small pieces and poached in a broth. The hot pot is usually placed in the centre of the table and cooked on a portable stove.

Nabe is a unique way to eat soup, as it is cooked and eaten at the dinner table out of the same pot. It is typically a winter dish, with a rich broth and various combinations of meat and vegetables. The broth is usually a seasoned and flavourful dashi, a Japanese soup stock made from kombu, bonito flakes and dried mushrooms, which is also used as a soup base. However, a simple and light broth can also be used, which is only used to cook the ingredients.

There are many different types of nabe, including regional variations. Some of the most popular include:

• Yosenabe: a flexible style of nabe that can include any ingredients.
• Shabu-shabu: a refined version of nabe, with delicate flavours. It features paper-thin slices of meat and vegetables cooked in a large open pot.
• Sukiyaki: a type of nabe with thinly sliced beef or vegetables that are seared in the pot before adding broth.
• Oden: a winter favourite, with ingredients simmered for hours in a light broth.
• Chanko-nabe: a hot pot with large quantities of vegetables and protein, eaten by sumo wrestlers.
• Motsu-nabe: a hot pot with pork or beef offal, vegetables and chilli peppers in a soup base.

What ingredients are needed?

The ingredients for a Japanese hot pot can vary depending on the type of hot pot being made, but there are some common ingredients that are often used.

For the broth, a Japanese soup stock called dashi is typically used as a base. Dashi can be made from kombu kelp, bonito flakes, and dried mushrooms, and is then combined with a concentrated sauce or used as a base for pork bone broth, chicken broth, seafood, kimchi, tomatoes, or soy milk.

For the hot pot itself, a variety of proteins, vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms are used. Proteins can include thin slices of beef (such as brisket, short rib, ribeye, sirloin, or flank steak), pork loin or belly, chicken, or chicken meatballs. Seafood options can include fish (such as salmon or white fish), shrimp, tempura, or fish cakes, as well as scallops, clams, mussels, or squid.

Tofu is a popular ingredient in Japanese hot pots, with medium-firm tofu, yaki tofu (grilled tofu), egg tofu, or aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) being common choices.

A variety of vegetables can be used, such as napa cabbage, carrot, daikon, sweet corn, lotus root, sweet potatoes, green onions, and shungiku (chrysanthemum greens). Other options include bok choy, broccoli, spinach, watercress, eggplant, potatoes, or Asian vegetables like bok choy or bean sprouts.

Mushrooms add umami flavor and texture to the hot pot, with shiitake, shimeji, enoki, or king oyster mushrooms being popular choices.

To finish the meal, cooked rice or noodles (typically udon) are often added to the remaining broth at the end.

What equipment is required?

To cook Japanese hot pot, or Nabemono, you will need a variety of equipment. The most important piece of equipment is the cooking pot itself, which is called a donabe. A donabe is a traditional Japanese earthenware pot made with heavy ceramic to retain and distribute heat. It is specifically designed for cooking hot pot dishes. Donabe comes in many beautiful designs and various sizes. If you plan to cook nabemono regularly, investing in a quality donabe is the best choice. It is highly versatile and durable. You can find donabe at Japanese and Asian grocery stores, Japanese ceramic shops, Toiro Kitchen, or Amazon. The size of the donabe you need will depend on the number of people you are serving. A 12-inch (30 cm) donabe is recommended for 2-6 people, while a 6.5-inch (16.5 cm) donabe is suitable for a single serving. If you are feeding a larger crowd, you will need at least two donabe pots.

In addition to a donabe, you will also need a portable butane stove and butane gas canisters. Asian families commonly use a portable single burner butane stove for cooking and grilling at the table. It is also useful for emergency cooking, road trips, or camping. You can purchase a portable gas stove and butane gas canisters on Amazon or at Asian grocery stores.

Aside from the donabe and portable gas stove, you will also need some cooking tools. These include a fine mesh skimmer and a bowl/measuring cup filled with water for skimming the broth, a ladle or two for scooping soup broth, a few slotted ladles for fishing out cooked ingredients, a few pairs of serving (long) chopsticks, one or two pairs of tongs, and individual bowls/plates/chopsticks for each person.

If you do not have a donabe, there are alternative pots that you can use for cooking Japanese hot pot. These include a stainless steel hot pot with a divider, an electric stainless steel hot pot, a multi-functional electric skillet, or a Dutch oven.

How to cook a Japanese hot pot?

Japanese hot pots are a perfect winter meal and a great way to warm up on cold winter nights. They are quick, easy, and warm one-pot meals. Here is a guide on how to cook a Japanese hot pot.

Ingredients

You can use a variety of ingredients for your Japanese hot pot. Here are some common ones:

• Meat: Thin slices of beef (brisket, short rib, ribeye, sirloin, or flank steak), pork loin or pork belly, and chicken.
• Seafood: Fish (salmon or white fish), shrimp, tempura, or fish cakes. You can also use scallops, clams, mussels, or squid.
• Tofu and soybean products: Medium-firm tofu, yaki tofu (grilled tofu), egg tofu, or aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch).
• Vegetables: Napa cabbage, carrot, daikon, sweet corn, lotus root, sweet potatoes, green onions, and chrysanthemum greens. You can also use bok choy, broccoli, spinach, or watercress.
• Mushrooms: Shiitake, shimeji, enoki, or king oyster mushrooms.

Equipment

• Cooking pot: A donabe (traditional Japanese earthenware pot) is ideal, but you can also use a cast-iron pot, stainless steel hot pot, electric skillet, or Dutch oven.
• Portable butane stove: For a communal dining experience, use a portable gas burner so everyone can cook and eat from the hot pot.
• Cooking tools: Fine mesh skimmer, ladles, slotted ladles, serving chopsticks, tongs, and individual bowls/plates/chopsticks for each person.

Steps to Cook a Japanese Hot Pot:

• Prepare the broth: The foundation of your hot pot is a rich and flavorful broth. Typically, this is a variation of dashi, a Japanese soup stock made from kombu kelp, bonito flakes, and dried mushrooms. You can then combine the dashi with a concentrated sauce or use it as a base for pork bone broth, chicken broth, seafood, kimchi, tomatoes, or soy milk.
• Cut the ingredients: Cut your chosen ingredients into bite-sized pieces. You can also ask your butcher to slice the meat thinly for you.
• Arrange the ingredients: Place the sliced meats on a plate and neatly assemble the vegetables and other ingredients on a separate plate.
• Sear the meat and vegetables: Heat some oil or fat in the hot pot and sear the meat and vegetables. You can also eat some of the seared meat at this stage.
• Add the broth: Pour the broth into the hot pot and bring it to a low simmer.
• Cook the remaining ingredients: Dip the remaining meat, vegetables, and other ingredients in the hot broth and cook until done. You can also add cooked rice or noodles to the broth towards the end of the meal.
• Enjoy: Serve the cooked ingredients with the broth and enjoy!

What are some popular Japanese hot pot recipes?

Japanese hot pot, or "nabe", is a popular dish in Japan, especially during the colder months. Nabe is a catch-all term for any Japanese hot pot dish, which is a communal meal where people sit around a table and take food straight from the pot. It's a great way to warm up and socialise, as well as being nutritious and quick to prepare. Here are some popular Japanese hot pot recipes:

Yosenabe

This is a flexible style of nabe with no rules. You can put anything you like in it, making it perfect for using up whatever ingredients you have available. It usually includes a mix of meat, vegetables, and noodles.

Shabu-shabu

A popular dish containing meat and vegetables cooked in dashi, a broth made with dried kombu (edible kelp). This is often served with a variety of dipping sauces. Shabu-shabu is considered more flavoursome than the similar dish, sukiyaki.

Sukiyaki

A popular hot pot style, sukiyaki is a one-pot dish with thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a sweet soy sauce-based broth. Other popular ingredients include tofu, mushrooms, and leafy vegetables. There are two main styles: the Kanto style, where all the ingredients are cooked in the broth at the same time, and the Kansai style, where the beef is seared first before adding the other ingredients.

Mizutaki

Mizutaki is a chicken-based hot pot that combines chicken, vegetables, tofu, and mushrooms in a light dashi broth. It is often served with ponzu sauce, a tangy citrus-based sauce.

Nabeyaki udon

This variety features thick udon noodles in dashi broth. Other common ingredients include tofu, egg, green onions, and kamaboko fish cakes.

Chanko nabe

Chanko nabe, or "sumo stew", is eaten by sumo wrestlers every day as part of their training. It usually contains large quantities of vegetables and protein in a rich broth.

Tomato nabe

A modern twist on the traditional nabe, tomato nabe adds Italian flavours with a tomato-infused chicken broth, olive oil, basil, and mozzarella cheese.

Frequently asked questions