Nabe Style Cooking

Exert from Eat Me Now - One Pot Cooking

Often we feel that we have little time to cook healthy foods. We fill our lives with so many activities that we forget to nourish ourselves.  ‘One Pot’ Cooking is a great answer to those busy times and a fantastic way to put top quality fuel in our ‘gas tank’.. This style of cooking is considered to be one of the oldest and dates back many centuries. It has also been used throughout the world. One Pot Cooking is a quick and easy way to set hearty, satisfying meals on the table.

Another benefit to all-in-one cooking is that it saves time. It takes away some of the anxiety of trying to get many dishes finished at once. One pot cooking is a complete meal although a fresh salad or hot brown rice can add an extra dimension.

One-pot meals can vary from savory stews and spicy noodles to heartwarming skillet dinners. Plus, one-pot meals are a great way to use up leftovers and the combinations are endless.

Think about the clean up!  You don’t have to wash every pot in the kitchen. Furthermore, many one-pot meals are not particularly 'sensitive,' so you don't have to stand over them to make sure they cook 'on the dot.'

Nabe Style Cooking

Nabe meaning cooking pot is a complete meal because it contains noodles, tofu and vegetables.  It is a relaxing and nourishing dish that helps you to feel soothed after a busy day.  Nabe is also good for improving circulation and is very warming.

 

Ingredients:

 1 packet udon noodles lightly cooked for 1 minute and rinsed

 1 bunch watercress rinsed and sliced

1 cup winter squash finely sliced

 2 cups Chinese cabbage rinsed and sliced

 1 carrot washed and finely sliced

 2 shiitake rinsed, soaked for 10 minutes and finely sliced

 1 cup snow peas washed

Nabe

 1/2 block tofu cut into rectangles

 1 inch piece kombu rinsed

 6 cups spring water

Dipping sauce:

 3 tablespoons shoyu

 2 tablespoons mirin

 2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

 1/2 cup spring water

 Shichimi 5 spice seasoning (optional)

Drop hot sesame oil (optional)

Garlic finely chopped (optional)

Ginger finely grated (optional)

Utensils: Traditional nabe pot or sturdy, deep pot with lid

Preparation:

Place the water and kombu in the pot and bring to a boil on a medium flame.

Remove the kombu and save for use in another dish. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables.

Arrange the vegetables (except for the watercress), noodles and tofu attractively in sections around the pot.

Cover with a lid.

Bring to a boil on a high flame. As soon as it boils, turn off the flame and add the watercress.

Mix the shoyu, mirin, vinegar and water in  a small bowl. This is the dipping sauce.

Serve from the pot: To serve, place a little dipping sauce in individual bowls. Add a selection of noodles, tofu and vegetables and pour the hot broth over the top. Garnish with a little 5 spice seasoning, garlic or hot sesame oil, if desired.

Note: A great variety of vegetables can be used. Try winter squash, summer squash, daikon, cauliflower, pieces of fresh sweet corn or string beans. The tofu can be deep-fried for a richer taste. Oysters or white fish can also be cooked in nabe.