Vegetable Hot Pot (Nabe)

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes
Vegetable Hot Pot (Nabe)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Unsweetened Edensoy
  • 3 cups water, including shiitake and lotus soaking water
  • 1 piece Edensoy Kombu, 3 1/2 inches long
  • 6 Eden Whole Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked in 1 c. hot water for 15 minutes, reserve water
  • 1/4 cup Eden Lotus Root Slices, soaked in 1/2 c. hot water for 10 minutes, reserve water
  • 4 pieces Eden Dried Tofu, soaked 10 minutes, squeeze, discard water
  • 1/2 cup daikon, sliced, or Japanese turnip
  • 1/2 cup carrot rounds, or sliced into flower design
  • 3 Tbsp Eden Shiro Miso, or Barley & Brown Rice Miso, to taste
  • 2 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped
  • 1/2 lb organic firm tofu, cubed or sliced
  • 1 cup green onions, sliced
  • 2 cups chopped greens, (mizen, spinach, bok choy, etc.)
  • 1 pkg Eden Mung Bean Pasta, precooked or precooked udon
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, (enoki, shimeji, maitake, etc.)

Directions

Place water, soymilk, kombu, shiitake, lotus slices, and dried tofu in a nabe pot (earthenware, stone or iron cooking pot). Place the lid on the pot and heat to a low simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender. Do not boil, the soymilk will curdle.

Add the daikon and carrots. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until tender.

Add the tofu, fresh mushrooms, and mung bean noodles. Add miso and stir into the liquid.

Add the Chinese cabbage, green onions, and greens. Simmer another 2 to 3 minutes until tender but still bright green.

Note: Nabe is a type of soup cooked over a gas or electric portable burner that is set in the center of the dining table as everyone sits around it. Chopsticks or tongs are used to add and remove ingredients. Foods are separated into categories according to cooking time by placing them on plates. Longer cooked ingredients are added to the pot first. Softer, more delicate ones are added last. When each type of vegetable/ingredient is done, it is removed from the hot broth and eaten as is or with condiments such as shichimi togarashi and ground sesame seeds or a favorite dip sauce. Then the next ingredient(s) are added and the process is repeated. A soup ladle is used to stir and serve the broth.

If a nabe pot is not available, use a small, enameled Dutch oven or shallow pot (about 3 to 4 quart size). If a portable burner is not available, nabe can be made on the stovetop and served at the table. One of the best things about nabe is that just about any food can be added to it. Variations are listed below.

Variation of Ingredients:

Soymilk - be careful not to boil as soymilk curdles when boiled. Plain water may be used instead of soymilk and seasoned with either miso (any type) or soy sauce.

Root Vegetables & Squash - cut in small or thin pieces (not chunks) - carrots, daikon, Japanese turnip, red radish, Kabocha squash, butter nut squash, sweet potatoes. These will need to cook the longest, about 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Fresh or dried lotus root. Fresh is quick cooking when sliced thin; dried should be soaked and precooked about 15 minutes.

Mushrooms - if using dried they must be soaked and possibly precooked several minutes until tender. The soaking and cooking water is reserved and used as part of the nabe cooking water. Types of fresh mushrooms - shiitake, maitake, shimeji, enoki, oyster, etc.

Greens - these cook quickly and are added last, depending on type (20 seconds up to 5 minutes). Napa (Chinese cabbage, bok choy, pak choy, spinach, mizuna, kale, broccoli, broccolini, and snow peas are all great for nabe.

Noodles - Mung bean, rice noodles, udon, soba, ramen are all great. Udon, soba, and ramen are best precooked and rinsed before adding to the pot.

Tofu: - medium to firm style, cubed or sliced. If using dried tofu, soak 10 minutes and discard soaking water. Then add at the beginning of cooking as it takes about 10 to 15 minutes to cook. Other types of tofu are: aburage (deep-fried) and yuba (soymilk skin).

Other Asian Ingredients: -mung bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.


Nutritional Information

Per serving - 313 calories, 9 g fat (25% calories from fat), 23 g protein, 37 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 431 mg sodium


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