The Melting Pot
Hot pot is a chinese dish that dates back hundreds of years to the Mongolians when the key was to cook as quick as possible a hot meal and conserve fire all at once. Usually some type of broth is brought to a boiling point over a fire; to it slices of meats, vegetables or grains would be added and eaten right out of the pot. The broth, in the end, is rich and deep with all the flavors of the ingredients that were quickly dipped into it making its taste much better than when it started out.
A variety of hot pots are now eaten over all of Asia, varying from country to country and season to season, especially in the winter in some regions. HOT POT in China, LAU in Viet Nam, and NABE (nah-bay)in Japan to mention a few. Everyone has their favorite medley of what they like in theirs. Every home will most likely boasts of their special hot pot. To think of it, hot pot ranks way up high in our family's favorite home meals; our comfort food when feeling tired or sick; our healing repast.
NABE is the japanese word for cooking pot. Into the nabe, which is usually made of clay, are an endless array of ingredients. This is then cooked at the table, over a portable gas range, and eaten communally. The cooked item is fished out of the nabe and usually dipped into various sauce choices. Friends and family gather around the table and add to the pot what they want to eat from a host of pre-sliced/pre-cut platter of components. We asians believe that by eating together in this manner, from the same shared pot, we are in turn forging a bond in our relationship; making us closer.
Every region in Japan has their proud nabe. My husband is from Nagoya, a city in the Aichi Prefecture; the 4th largest city in Japan. One of the famous ingredient traits in Aichi is HACCHO MISO, a very dense aged miso. By now, most of the Americas and other continents are familiar with miso as Japanese cuisine leads in the trend of healthy eating. For those not, MISO is a salted and fermented soy bean paste product that has been blended with different types of grains. The fermentation process can be as little as five days to years.
Miso plays a very large role in the Japanese diet and is full of health benefits. Therefore, there are countless numbers of dishes that feature miso as their key ingredient.
Our favorite nabe uses miso in the base for the broth. Not just one miso, but usually a blend of at least two types. This past Sunday when I made nabe, I used barley miso and a dark red miso to compose CHANKO-NABE.
Chanko nabe was created over 100 years ago as a protein-rich nabe for sumo wrestlers. It was supposed to be their fuel. Its miso broth is laden with, are you ready for this? - garlic, pork slices, napa cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushroom, daikon, fried bean curd skin, potatoes, leeks, chrysanthemum leaves or shungiku, carrots, burdock root, and chicken thigh meat and sometimes, luxuriously, primed beef slices!
OK! OK!..I didn't have all those ingredients on hand, which is what the beauty of nabe boils down to-making do with what you have to create a steaming hot one-pot-meal- but I had most, and the meal was magical. Always an OOH or AHH when the heavy glazed clay lid is lifted off the bubbling concoction that begged to be savored immediately. Once all of the goodies are eaten, and if there is still room in the tummy, cooked rice and raw eggs can be added to make a rich porridge to end the meal. Udon noodles can also be added; that in itself is a whole other creative process. Usually we are pretty filled and our concentrated treasured left-over broth is saved for the next morning's breakfast.
I made chanko nabe on Sunday because I needed it after Saturday's rush of activities. My honey-seeking friend threw a huge party to celebrate her newly landscaped and restructured home, and I was on hand to help carry out the food making and entertaining end (meaning making silly jokes and coaxing people to eat and drink more.) The theme was happiness and Mexico, which was inspired by the wonderful crew of Mexican men that artistically and laboriously worked on her project for over two months- her special invitees!
It was also a party to celebrate the coming end of summer. Along with the special guests( about 12 men) there were also other friends of all ages, including my family of five..and my parents, sister and her boyfriend. We all love Catherine and we wanted to be there for her. My parents...did I say my parents? if you only knew (which you will soon enough..i promise)..you'd be amazed that they were present to celebrate this evening of evenings. There were also three generations of a Greek family, as well as an englishman and his jewish wife, Catherine's funky housemate, and my parent's Kenyan driver/right-hand man/ assistant. It was basically a collage of very different people from very different corners of the world, having the best time at the party despite the flashes of rain showers that came and went, hustling guests to duck under umbrellas, shufflling into the house for refuge at certain points, and then shuffling right back outside into the muggy night air just in time to listen to Diego strumming his guitar and belting classic Mexican songs.
That night, on Hickory Hill, we had a very unique hot pot. All the people were added in the huge pot, seeped in a friendship which yielded in happiness. It was delicious!!!!
A variety of hot pots are now eaten over all of Asia, varying from country to country and season to season, especially in the winter in some regions. HOT POT in China, LAU in Viet Nam, and NABE (nah-bay)in Japan to mention a few. Everyone has their favorite medley of what they like in theirs. Every home will most likely boasts of their special hot pot. To think of it, hot pot ranks way up high in our family's favorite home meals; our comfort food when feeling tired or sick; our healing repast.
NABE is the japanese word for cooking pot. Into the nabe, which is usually made of clay, are an endless array of ingredients. This is then cooked at the table, over a portable gas range, and eaten communally. The cooked item is fished out of the nabe and usually dipped into various sauce choices. Friends and family gather around the table and add to the pot what they want to eat from a host of pre-sliced/pre-cut platter of components. We asians believe that by eating together in this manner, from the same shared pot, we are in turn forging a bond in our relationship; making us closer.
Every region in Japan has their proud nabe. My husband is from Nagoya, a city in the Aichi Prefecture; the 4th largest city in Japan. One of the famous ingredient traits in Aichi is HACCHO MISO, a very dense aged miso. By now, most of the Americas and other continents are familiar with miso as Japanese cuisine leads in the trend of healthy eating. For those not, MISO is a salted and fermented soy bean paste product that has been blended with different types of grains. The fermentation process can be as little as five days to years.
Miso plays a very large role in the Japanese diet and is full of health benefits. Therefore, there are countless numbers of dishes that feature miso as their key ingredient.
Our favorite nabe uses miso in the base for the broth. Not just one miso, but usually a blend of at least two types. This past Sunday when I made nabe, I used barley miso and a dark red miso to compose CHANKO-NABE.
Chanko nabe was created over 100 years ago as a protein-rich nabe for sumo wrestlers. It was supposed to be their fuel. Its miso broth is laden with, are you ready for this? - garlic, pork slices, napa cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushroom, daikon, fried bean curd skin, potatoes, leeks, chrysanthemum leaves or shungiku, carrots, burdock root, and chicken thigh meat and sometimes, luxuriously, primed beef slices!
OK! OK!..I didn't have all those ingredients on hand, which is what the beauty of nabe boils down to-making do with what you have to create a steaming hot one-pot-meal- but I had most, and the meal was magical. Always an OOH or AHH when the heavy glazed clay lid is lifted off the bubbling concoction that begged to be savored immediately. Once all of the goodies are eaten, and if there is still room in the tummy, cooked rice and raw eggs can be added to make a rich porridge to end the meal. Udon noodles can also be added; that in itself is a whole other creative process. Usually we are pretty filled and our concentrated treasured left-over broth is saved for the next morning's breakfast.
I made chanko nabe on Sunday because I needed it after Saturday's rush of activities. My honey-seeking friend threw a huge party to celebrate her newly landscaped and restructured home, and I was on hand to help carry out the food making and entertaining end (meaning making silly jokes and coaxing people to eat and drink more.) The theme was happiness and Mexico, which was inspired by the wonderful crew of Mexican men that artistically and laboriously worked on her project for over two months- her special invitees!
It was also a party to celebrate the coming end of summer. Along with the special guests( about 12 men) there were also other friends of all ages, including my family of five..and my parents, sister and her boyfriend. We all love Catherine and we wanted to be there for her. My parents...did I say my parents? if you only knew (which you will soon enough..i promise)..you'd be amazed that they were present to celebrate this evening of evenings. There were also three generations of a Greek family, as well as an englishman and his jewish wife, Catherine's funky housemate, and my parent's Kenyan driver/right-hand man/ assistant. It was basically a collage of very different people from very different corners of the world, having the best time at the party despite the flashes of rain showers that came and went, hustling guests to duck under umbrellas, shufflling into the house for refuge at certain points, and then shuffling right back outside into the muggy night air just in time to listen to Diego strumming his guitar and belting classic Mexican songs.
That night, on Hickory Hill, we had a very unique hot pot. All the people were added in the huge pot, seeped in a friendship which yielded in happiness. It was delicious!!!!
posted by cream cheese dreams at 9:18 PM
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