I love my friend and fellow food blogger, Jennifer Perrillo. In September we were roommates for BlogherFood09 in San Francisco. During our time together she was so kind to give me all sorts of wonderful things to bring back to Seattle. This included a copy of Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals
What I love about this dish and any hot pot for that matter is how simple it is to throw together not to mention how satisfying and healthy the meals are. The mushroom recipe in the book was filling and rich in flavor. However, I did a Japanese no-no and added udon noodles to the hot pot because… I love UDON! If you are new to Japanese comfort food, may I suggest you try a little Hot Pot? And if you are intimidated by the ingredients, just substitute the mushrooms for what you can find in your regular grocery store. As for the dashi, you can buy instant dashi powder which is more readily available than Kombu and shaved bonito. However, Kombu adds so much umami it would be a shame not to use it. This meal is perfect for any Fall/Winter night, especially if you are looking for something lighter (and healthier) than a heavy stew yet just as filling. It is also a great meal to serve guests. I present to you Mushroom Hot Pot. Enjoy!!
Mushroom Hot Pot – Kinoko Nabe Recipe
Adapted from “Japanese Hot Pots” – Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups dashi (4 cups of water + 2-6” pieces of kombu + 1 1/2 ounces dried, shaved bonito *** I wasn’t able to find shaved bonito but I used 1 tablespoon instant bonito flavored dashi + kombu + water)
1 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce or for a Gluten-Free variation, use San-J Organic Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce found in the health food section of your local grocery store.
1/2 pound napa cabbage, sliced
1/2 package firm tofu, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, trimmer and pulled apart
3 1/2 ounces shimeji mushrooms, trimmed and pulled apart
7 ounces enoki mushrooms, trimmed and pulled apart
1/2 pound spinach, stemmed
Optional: Shichimi togarashi for accent
*sidenote: This recipe is gluten-free however I like to add a little bit of udon noodles to my hotpot which is not GF.
DIRECTIONS:
In a large sauce pan or wok, prepare the broth by combining the dashi, sake, mirin, and soy sauce on medium high heat. Add cabbage and tofu and bring the pot to boil and then to simmer for 5 minutes with the cover on. Remove the cover and add mushrooms and udon noodles and cook for 5 more minutes. Add spinach and cook for 1 more minute. Remove and discard Kombu. Serve hot pot in individual bowls and garnish with Shichimi togarashi. Enjoy!
–
–
–
–
–
–
Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals can be ordered here.
I just wanted to say that I’ve made this hot pot about 5 times since first discovering the recipe. It’s absolutely delicious. Thanks again for posting it!
Oh my.. kimchee nabe sounds heavenly.
Ahhhh~ so many happy memories of the years I spent teaching in Japan. I prefer kimchee nabe myself, but my husband said we should give this one a go and I’m glad we did!
Just one thing though – our Japanese friends taught us that udon shouldnt be added until the end, once all the meat and veg etc has been eaten – then you add the udon and finish the nabe soup off with that..
So amazing to pack for lunch on a cool day, thanks for posting! The photos here are amazing, too. I included this recipe in a roundup of packed lunches in Poor Taste magazine.
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Lucy
http://maternitymotherhood.net
Alice, your photos just keep getting better. The mushrooms look so lush! Craving this now.
This would be a wonderful place! I love the Todai in Hawaii BUT for only one thing-BBQ short ribs which I did not see on buffet table this week which I coincidentally perused while in nabe this weekend. I would definitely consider for anyone else but myself-besides who wants to eat that much!! The positive thing however is everyone will have choices if with a bigger group.
Regards,
I am just drooling over these mushrooms!!! I was in San Francisco this past weekend for the Foodbuzz Festival and we saw (and ate) so many wonderful mushrooms!!!
Sounds delicious… and your photos look absolutely amazing!
Love it! I have been on a serious mushroom craving kick this week. A soup one too…. Hmmm… This is perfect!
Alice – you are totally nailing the presentation and the photos on! Great stuff.
Looks delish! And your photos look great! I’ve got to try this!
The hot pot looks amazing!
Thanks for sharing your lovely photos. 🙂
That is one pretty dish! One dish recipes are always a winner with my wife (since I cook, she does most of the cleaning 🙂 )
Wow…looks yummy! I love your photos. The colors are so vibrant and everything is staged so well! I am so impressed.
Love it! I like the presentation of it too. Simple and elegant at the same time. Ironically I was about to order some udon soup for lunch today, but went for the sushi. hehe…
Hi Alice!
I have been reading your site for a while now but believe this is my first time commenting. I just had to tell you that I think your photography, recipes and overall site persona are amazing. I hope that I will be able to meet you at a future blogging conference.
Just thought I’d drop a quick note. I’m definitely thinking mushrooms should be on the menu tonight 🙂
Have a great Sunday!
Alice, you are too kind. It was great finally meeting IRL, and I only wish we could see each other again soon. Glad you loved the book, and one day we shall cook up a storm together!
Alice, you know how to live. This looks fantastic! (Your photographs are killing me lately.)
And thanks for making it gluten-free!
This looks delicious! I think you photography is fantastic! Your family must always be happy with meals like this 🙂
Hi Lyn,
Thanks for letting me know about the soy sauce. Typically in my other recipes I have listed for people to use San-J Organic Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce but I forgot to in this post. I’ve corrected it. Thanks again.
Alice
Comfort food indeed! I could eat that every night. Now I totally want that cookbook because I crave food like that all winter.
This is crooning to me: I will make you all better! I want this…Lovely pictures of mushrooms!
That looks fabulous! I just want to mention, it’s not gluten free if it has soy sauce. One could sub tamarind sauce for that, perhaps?
Ahhh…that looks lovely.