Chicken hot pot - Mizutaki nabe

Ingredients

4 ½ cups dashi broth. Can be made with 4 ½ cup of water and 3 tbsp. concentrated liquid dashi.

1 piece konbu, 15 cm in length

¼ hakusai, cut into 7 cm lengths

2 bunches mizuna, cut into 7 cm lengths

1 ½ stalks naganegi, cut on the diagonal in 4 cm lengths

12 shiitake

1 pack enoki mushrooms

1 carrot, cut into rounds, ¼ cm in thickness

½ daikon, cut into 7 cm lengths, ¼ cm in thickness

400 g tofu, cut into 4 cm cubes

Chicken meatballs

350 g ground chicken

2 tbsp. grated ginger

Shiitake stems, finely minced

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 ½ tbsp. sake

Ponzu (dipping sauce)

Juice of 3 kabosu. May substitute with juice of 1 lemon.

1 tbsp. grated ginger

2 tbsp. grated daikon

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Serves 4. Time: 1 hr.

Directions:

1. Wash and cut all the vegetables and the tofu as directed above. Reserve the soft parts of the shiitake stems.

2. Run the konbu under cold water until it begins to soften. Place konbu in a large clay nabe (pot), or a deep, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the dashi to the pan and turn the heat on medium-low to infuse the broth with the konbu (about 10 minutes). Remove any scum that forms at the surface.

3. Mix all the ingredients for the chicken meatballs together. Finely chop the reserved shiitake stems from step 1. Using spoons, form the chicken mince mixture into 3 cm balls, and add them to the pot. Increase heat to medium.

5. Add in about half the amount of vegetables and tofu (or as much as you can cram into the pot), arranging the ingredients so that they cook evenly. Cover and allow the ingredients to soften (about 10 minutes).

6. In separate bowls (1 per person) divide the ingredients for the ponzu. Add 1 ladle of broth from the pot to each bowl.

7. Diners serve themselves selecting what they want from the pot and dipping it to their bowl of ponzu before eating. Replenish ingredients in the pot as necessary.

Serve with rice.

How things went down…

Well, we blew out the power in Lou’s apartment… twice. I guess having 2 heaters, lights, a computer, a rice cooker, and a portable gas stove all running at the same time was too much for one little 2-room apartment to handle. But did we squeeze enough juice out of the power box to make our mizutaki.

What I love about this dish is that it’s filling without being heavy. You really taste the flavors of all the ingredients because the broth is so light. Then, once you dip everything in the ponzu, the ginger, daikon and citrus give you a burst of bright, fresh flavor—not to mention a wallop of Vitamin C for those pesky winter cold viruses.

The verdict

Another crowd-pleaser. Doesn’t cost a lot to put together, but it feeds a lot of people. This one got the green light for flavor, but there was one complaint. Not enough chicken meatballs. If you love your chicken, feel free to mince up a whole bird. Knock yourself out.