Japanese Hot Pot Recipe – A Quick & Nutritious Winter Meal

Nabe, Japanese hot pot, is our favorite winter meal. It`s quick, nutritious, and it`ll warm you up fast. There are many different types of nabe; sukiyaki, shabu shabu, chanko nabe, kimchi nabe, etc. Our favorite is Japanese shabu shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) which consists of raw assorted vegetables, tofu, thin slices of pork or beef and konbu dashi. An easy meal for busy parents. Here is an easy recipe which can be altered depending on your palate.

Ingredients:
1 piece dried konbu (30g)
1/2 head of Napa cabbage washed and cut.
1 pkg Mizuna (Japanese mustard greens)
1 negi (green onion)
1 pkg enoki mushrooms. Remove stalks and clean.
1 carrot sliced
1 block tofu
Thinly sliced beef / pork
Mochi / noodles / rice as a finish.
Sauce: sesame sauce / ponzu sauce

* Other leafy greens and Japanese mushrooms may be added to satisfy different palates.
* Supermarkets sell single serving vegetable nabe packs. Just throw into the boiling dashi and eat! Super convenient.

Instructions:
– Soak 20g of konbu for 1.5 hours in 4 cups of water
– Cut up vegetables and arrange on a serving plate
– Heat water with konbu until just before it reaches boiling point (when you see small bubbles appear in the bowl). Remove the konbu.
– Bring the broth to a boil then add the vegetables. Start with food that takes the longest to cook.
– Dip your slice of pork/beef in the boiling broth and gently swish it back and forth until the meat is cooked.
– Dip your meat in the sauce and eat.
*Skim off the scum and fat from the broth as you cook.
When most of the meat and vegetables have been eaten add rice, noodles or mochi and cook for a few minutes then eat.

Do you love Japanese hot pot? Try these Donabe Recipes.

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