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Hot Japanese One-Pot Meal for Winter
by Jackie Miyasaka, from the December 2003 newsletter
Now that the temperature is dropping and winter is on its way, Japanese nabemono are the perfect meal for warming you up. Nabemono are one-pot meals often translated as “hot pot” in English. They are prepared in a special Japanese lidded earthenware pot at the table over a portable heat source. The pot is approximately 12 inches wide and 4 inches deep. A heavy enameled or stainless steel pot of this size is a good substitute. In Japan, a portable gas burner is used, but here I use a portable electric hotplate. Into the pot go kombu (kelp) soup stock and a hodgepodge of seafood, tofu, vegetables, and even sometimes chicken. The variations are limitless. While the food is cooking, everyone sitting around the hot pot enjoys the warmth and conversation, eagerly anticipating the delicious meal that awaits them. When the lid is removed, each person takes some ingredients from the pot, dips them in a small individual bowl of Ponzu citrus flavored soy sauce, hot pepper, grated daikon, and thinly sliced scallions. When a person runs out of food, he or she takes more from the pot in the same way. Everyone uses his or her chopsticks to eat directly from the pot. Traditionally, it was considered taboo to take food from the communal pot with chopsticks that had touched one’s mouth, and special serving chopsticks were used. In fact, during the Edo period (1603-1867), single serving cooking pots were used. However, now common practice has changed, and eating directly from the pot with one’s own chopsticks represents a breakdown of everyday reserve and a sense of harmony among the diners.
The following is the nabemono that I usually prepare.
4-inch square piece of kombu
8 cups water
4-inch length of daikon, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds, and parboiled
12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 package tofu, cut into 1 1/2 inch squares
1 pound nappa (Chinese cabbage), cut crosswise into roughly 1/2 x 2 inch strips
1 pound true codfish, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
8 medium shrimp or sea scallops
1 bunch scallions, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
Ponzu citrus flavored soy sauce (available in the Asian section of supermarkets)
3-inch length of daikon, finely grated
3 scallions, sliced thinly
Hot pepper, to taste
2 cups cooked rice
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Soak kombu in 8 cups water in a pot for two hours, and then bring to the boil. Remove kombu. Add half of each ingredient: daikon rounds, mushrooms, tofu, nappa, fish, shrimp or scallops, and long scallions. Cover the pot. Boil until everything is cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, each diner should mix approximately 1/4 cup citrus flavored soy sauce, 1 tablespoon grated daikon, 1/2 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions, and hot pepper to taste in an individual serving bowl. When the ingredients are cooked through, turn down the heat to simmer, remove the lid, transfer some ingredients from the pot into the soy sauce mixture, ladle over a little of the broth from the pot, and eat. When all the ingredients are gone, add the remaining half of each ingredient, and cook in the same way again. If necessary, add more boiling water. After all the ingredients have been eaten, some broth will be left. Add the cooked rice to the broth. The liquid should just cover the rice. Add more boiling water if necessary. Cook the rice over low heat, covered, for 3-4 minutes. Pour the beaten eggs evenly over the rice. Cook this mixture, covered, for 2 minutes, until the egg is cooked through. Serve the rice in the same individual serving bowls, adding more citrus flavored soy sauce, hot pepper, and scallions, to taste. Serves 4.
Jackie Miyasaka works as a Japanese-English translator in Pullman.
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