KJ200801:Winter J-Food Recommendations

☆Nabe Dishes

　In this style of cooking, called nabe or naberyouri,a group of friends or family gather around a boiling pot full of broth and various ingredients. Each person takes things from the pot and transfers them to their own plate. The ingredients are referred to as gu and the broth as shiru ; both can include many different things.

Yose-nabe, suki-yaki, yudoufu, shabu-shabu, mizu-taki,oden, kimchi-nabe, chanko-nabe, chige-nabe, motsunabe, tecchiri, and botan-nabe are just some of the many styles. If you would like to try this style of cooking you must first obtain a do-nabe, or large clay pot, and a tabletop gas cooker. Often used in nabe cooking, a clay pot heats up slowly and retains heat well. A word of warning, though : if any water is left on the outside of the pot when you turn on the gas, it may crack! Be careful with your do-nabe.

Set the portable gas cooker on the table and the pot on top of that. While cooking the nabe one person usually acts as the nabe-bugyou, the one responsible for deciding when to put in new ingredients and when to take out those that are properly cooked. Cold beer is a highlyrecommended accompaniment.

☆Oden

　Oden is a style of nabe cooking. The pot is filled with things like fish cake called tempura（or satsuma-age in the Kanto region）, daikon, devil’s root paste, eggs, beef, and fish sausages. These are eaten with miso sauce and spicy karashi mustard. Oden and hot sake （ atsukan）are nice on a cold winter night. Convenience stores have recently started selling oden, and in Kagawa you can usually find it at udon shops.

☆An-mochi Zouni

　O-zouni is a soup-like dish traditionally eaten during the New Year’s holidays in order to ensure another safe and prosperous year. It differ by region and household. Kagawa’s special o-zouni uses an-mochi which includes an sweet bean paste and makes for an interesting combination of flavors.

 Let’s try making some o-zouni!

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 Here’s one simple recipe :

 Ingredients for four people :

　・daikon ４cm

　・carrot ４cm

　・sato-imo ４

　・white miso ８０g

　・dashi ４cups

　・ao-nori a pinch

　・an-mochi ４

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１．Prepare the dashi stock. Gut and remove the heads of

　　dried iriko（sardines）．

　　Simmer over medium heat with５ cups of water for ７-８

　　minutes, removing the　film that accumulates on the

　　surface.

２．Peel and slice thin rounds from the daikon and carrot.

　　Cut the sato-imo into bite-size pieces and bevel the

    edges.

３．Put the dashi back on the heat and add the cut

    vegetables.

４．Once the vegetables have softened, add the an-mochi

    and simmer until soft.

５．Melt the white miso into the soup.

６．Sprinkle ao-nori over the soup and serve.