Nabemono (鍋物, なべ物,nabe "cooking pot" +mono "thing"), or simplynabe, is a variety ofJapanesehot pot dishes, also known as one-pot dishes[1] and "things in a pot".[2]
Nabemono are stews andsoups containing many types of ingredients that are served while still boiling. Nabe is thus typically enjoyed on cold days or in the winter. In modern Japan, nabemono are kept hot at thedining table by portablestoves. The dish is frequently cooked at the table, and the diners can pick the cooked ingredients they want from the pot. It is either eaten with the broth or with a dip. Further ingredients can also be successively added to the pot.
There are two types of nabemono in Japan: lightly flavored stock (mostly withkombu) types such asyudōfu (湯豆腐) andmizutaki (水炊き), eaten with a dipping sauce (tare) to enjoy the taste of the ingredients themselves; and strongly flavored stock, typically withmiso,soy sauce,dashi, and/or sweet soy types such asyosenabe (寄鍋),oden (おでん), andsukiyaki (すき焼き), eaten without further flavoring.
The pots are traditionally made ofclay (土鍋,donabe) or thickcast iron (鉄鍋,tetsunabe). Clay pots can keep warm for a while after being taken off the fire, while cast iron pots evenly distribute heat and are preferable forsukiyaki. Pots are usually placed in the center of dining tables and are shared by multiple people. This is considered the most sociable way to eat with friends and family.
Chankonabe (ちゃんこ鍋): was originally served only tosumo wrestlers.Chankonabe is served with more ingredients than other nabemono, as it was developed to help sumo wrestlers gain weight. Many recipes exist but usually containmeatballs,chicken, vegetables such asnapa cabbage andudon.
Motsunabe (もつ鍋): made with beef or porkoffal, originally a local cuisine ofFukuoka but popularised nationwide in the 1990s because of its taste and reasonable price.[citation needed] The ingredients of motsunabe vary from restaurant to restaurant, but it is typical to boil fresh cow offal withcabbage andgarlic chives. After the offal and vegetables are eaten, the rest of soup is used to cookchamponnoodles. The soup bases are mainlysoy sauce ormiso.
Oden: several ingredients such as boiled eggs,daikon,konjac, and processed fishcakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoureddashi broth.Karashi (Japanese mustard) is often used as a condiment.
Shabu-shabu: thinly sliced meat and vegetables that are boiled in a pot at thedining table and eaten with a dipping sauce.
Sukiyaki: thinly sliced beef, tofu, vegetables and starch noodles stewed in sweetenedshouyu and eaten with a raw egg dip.
Yosenabe: Yose (寄) means "putting together", implying that all things (e.g., meat, seafood,egg,tofu and vegetables) are cooked together in a pot.Yosenabe is typically based on a broth made with miso or soy sauce flavourings.
Yudofu: tofu simmered in akombu stock and served withponzu and various condiments.
Dote-nabe: Oyster and other ingredients (typically Chinese cabbage, tofu and shungiku stewed in a pot with its inner lining coated in miso.[citation needed]
Benkei no najiru: (na means green vegetables, andjiru means soup) is made with duck, wild boar, chicken, beef, pork, daikon radish, carrot, mizuna, hiru (a kind of shallot), and dumplings made from buckwheat and rice.[citation needed]
Mizutaki: chicken pieces and vegetables stewed in a simple stock, and eaten with dipping sauce such as ponzu. Ingredients include Chinese cabbage, Welsh onion, shiitake or other mushrooms, tofu, shungiku, andshirataki noodles.[citation needed]
Nabemono are usually eaten with a sauce sometimes calledtare, literally "dipping". Several kinds of sauce can be used with additional spices, called yakumi. Typical yakumi include grated garlic, butter, red pepper, a mixture of red pepper and other spices, roasted sesame, ormomiji oroshi (a mixture of grateddaikon radish and red pepper).[citation needed]
Ponzu: The common ponzu is made of soy sauce and juice pressed from a bitter orange, sweet sake, andkombu (kelp) stock.[citation needed]