Japanese Style Vegetable, Meatball and Broth Hot Pot

My stars. This smells incredible. It tastes incredible. I could easily exist on this, cheese and fruit for my whole life. 

I was doing some reading last night and everything kept coming up ‘broth’. I’m a huge broth fan and will choose a brothy soup over a cream one any day. A cup of broth can be just the pick me up you need when you are feeling kind of hungry, but don’t really want a meal. It’s also great for when you are feeling blue, or tired, or just not up to par. I always keep vegetable bouillon cubes at home and at work that I can just put in a mug and add hot water to. It’s great when I have a sore throat.

Last night I was especially entranced by the Japanese Sumo wrestlers making Chankonabe, the traditional food for Sumo training. The meal itself seemed healing and healthy (if you don’t eat 2 gallons like those guys do). I knew today was going to be a lovely rainy day, so I decided to try my hand. This meal will make you feel whole again.

I’m sure my spelling of Chankonabe is off, but then again, I didn’t set out to make a ‘traditional’ Chankonabe-I just wanted what I liked.

Big bonus: The ingredients I used can be swapped out, added to, removed, whatever you want. You can make this vegan, you can add noodles/rice,  potatoes, chicken, or seafood and make it the kind of hearty meal Sumo wrestlers eat.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 egg white

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon finely sliced green onions

1 teaspoon salt

Stock:

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups vegetable stock

2 teaspoons miso paste

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon mirin (optional)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

Salt to taste

Everything else:

1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1 cup)

3 cups chopped bok choy

1 small daikon radish, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)

2 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (I’m using cremini, but shitakes would be awesome)

8 ounces extra firm tofu (not silken), squeezed dry between paper towels and cut into bite sized cubes (if you see fried tofu, get that-it will hold up better as you cook)

4 green onions, sliced on the diagonal

A few drops of toasted sesame oil

Directions: Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a mixing bowl and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Place the chicken and vegetable stocks in a large Dutch oven and add in the miso, soy, mirin and ginger and some salt (maybe a teaspoon). Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium or medium low-you want it simmering, not boiling. Simmer for 15 minutes. Put some in a bowl, let it cool slightly and taste. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Add in the carrots, onions, bok choy, daikon and Napa cabbage to the stock. Drop the meatballs carefully in. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms, tofu and green onions. Cook for another 20 minutes. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil and taste one more time. Adjust the seasonings and serve in big bowls.