Donabe Food

YOSENABE (JAPANESE HOT POT)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• In a large pot (I used this donabe), combine dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and salt. Cover and bring it to a simmer, and then turn off the heat. Set aside.
• Gather all the ingredients. Yosenabe is pretty flexible and you can substitute any of the listed ingredients with whatever you have or want to eat.
• Shrimp: Devein shrimp by following this instruction. Insert the tip of the skewer sideways about ½ inch (1.3 cm) down from the head of the shrimp (whether it's a shell on or off) and pull the skewer tip up towards you. This will lift up the vein and you can pull it off with the skewer or with your hand. If the vein is broken, then insert again a bit lower towards the tail. If you can't find the vein, then don't worry about it.
• Chicken tender: To remove the tendon, firmly grab the end of the tendon (maybe use a paper towel to increase grip) and place the knife on top of the tendon as you see in the image below. Using the knife to hold the chicken in place, pull the end of the tendon as you push the chicken away. Repeat with the rest of the chicken tenders. Then hold your knife diagonally, nearly parallel to the cutting board, and then slice the tender. This cutting method gives it more surface area so that it cooks faster and soaks up flavor quickly. This cutting technique is called sogigiri in Japanese.
• Fish: Cut the fish fillets in half. Place all the seafood ingredients on a platter.
• Napa cabbage: Remove the core, separate the leaves, and rinse them carefully. Then cut them into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces.
• Cut the tough bottom part of the leaves into smaller strips/pieces.
• Chrysanthemum leaves: Cut them into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Negi: Cut it diagonally into ½-inch (1.3 cm) pieces.
• Carrot: Using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrot into thin ribbons. Place all the vegetables on another platter.
• Enoki mushrooms: Discard the bottom and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Shimeji mushrooms: Discard the bottom and separate them.
• Shiitake mushrooms: Discard the bottom. If you like, you can curve the cap of shiitake mushrooms to make them look like a flower by following this instruction.
• Tofu: Cut it into smaller pieces. Place the mushrooms and tofu on another platter.
• Green onion: Cut it into small pieces for garnish.
• Bring the broth to a boil. If you are cooking root vegetables such as daikon, gobo (burdock root), and carrots (if not ribbons), start cooking them while you are heating up the broth. They take a longer time to cook. Once boiling, add various kinds of ingredients to the pot and arrange them by sections. For example, group the napa cabbage in one area, while mushrooms stay in one area and seafood in another. This way, you can choose what you want to eat. Close the lid and cook for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on leafy greens. Dish them out early if they turn soft and ready to eat.
• Pick up the cooked food and enjoy while they are hot. For yosenabe, the ingredients are cooked in a flavorful broth; therefore, we do not dip the cooked food in a dipping sauce like shabu shabu. We sprinkle chopped green onion, yuzu zest, and/or shichimi togarashi to enjoy.
• Once all the cooked ingredients are served and cleared from the hot pot, add a new batch of ingredients. Cover the lid and start cooking for 10 minutes. Add water if the broth is low in the pot.
• Enjoy and repeat 1-2 more rounds until you finish all the ingredients.
• You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

DONABE SEAFOOD SOUP WITH UDON NOODLES

Steps:

• To make the dashi, fill a medium saucepan with 4 cups of cold water. Add the kombu and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, carefully skimming off and discarding any white foam that might bubble up using a large spoon or ladle, about 15 minutes. Once at a boil, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove the kombu and bring the liquid back to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let the bonito flakes soak for 15 minutes.
• Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the bonito flakes. (The dashi can be used immediately or cooled completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large donabe over medium heat. Add the ginger and scallions and sauté until the scallion whites are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the dashi and the napa cabbage. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, mix the mirin and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Once the dashi is at a simmer, add the udon in an even layer. Carefully arrange the mushrooms, snapper, shrimp, clams and garlic chives in an even layer on top of the udon. You may need to nestle in and overlap some of the ingredients, such as the garlic chives and mushrooms, but take care not to overlap the snapper pieces too much or they may not cook evenly. Pour in the mirin-soy mixture and remaining dashi. Bring to a full simmer. Cover and let cook until the shrimp are pink, the clams are open and everything is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Carefully remove the lid and drizzle in the sesame oil. Transfer to the donabe to a trivet on the table. Divide among bowls and enjoy while warm. Season with additional mirin and light soy sauce, if desired.