Nabe: Japan’s Warm Hug on a Cold Day
- Narelle Katsumoto
- 10月15日
- 読了時間: 4分
As October slowly approaches November, cool winds make their way into the air. Suddenly, you feel a craving for something warm and filling to quell your chills. With shops filling shelves with hot soups and oden, what's more heart-warming than a pot of nabe? Every cold month, this versatile dish finds its way onto every dining table, offering exactly what you need to warm yourself up.
But what exactly is this comforting dish that brings everyone together?
What is Nabe?
Nabe (鍋) is a Japanese dish served in a single pot—funnily enough, also called "nabe." Typically, it contains some kind of meat, vegetables, and broth. You can put whatever meat you'd like. As for vegetables, there will usually be some leeks, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, and tofu. All of these ingredients are simmered together and then served as is over a portable gas stove.
People usually use a separate bowl for their own portion of the dish. It is usually served with rice and some dipping sauces like ponzu, goma (sesame) sauce, or raw egg. This can be eaten in a restaurant, but it's also enjoyed with families at home. Of course, you can make one for just yourself as well.
Once everyone finishes eating the main ingredients, ramen noodles, udon, or even rice can be added to enjoy the remaining broth. Some even put cheese and rice over it to make a risotto. This is why it's so famous with everyone: it's both nutritious and hearty!
History of Nabe
Nabe didn't start like the one we see now. Thousands of years ago, the Jomon people (about 15,000 to 2,500 years ago) crafted pots, nabe, to cook food. Since then, people had nabe with boiled potatoes and cooked nuts sprinkled with salt. By the introduction of spices from China during the Nara Period (710 – 794), people began to explore more flavors to put in their nabe. These clay nabe were cooked over hearths (iriori) and under wooden fires. However, these foods were divided and eaten separately.
The tradition of serving them communally over a small charcoal grill (shichirin) didn't come until the Edo period (1820 to 1850). By the Meiji Era (1868-1912), meat dishes that were saved for special days found their way into everyday households. This is how popular dishes today like gyunabe (beef hot pot), popularly known as sukiyaki, came to be. When portable gas stoves were invented in 1969 during the Showa era (1926-1989), this allowed different groups of people to enjoy nabe together, solidifying its place in Japanese culture.
The Four Kinds of Nabe
As nabe made its way into different households, it also evolved from region to region. Every place in Japan has its own version of nabe, creating unique specialties with locally available ingredients. Because the definition of nabe is so broad, people have categorized it into four main types:
Plain Nabe - ingredients are boiled in plain water, as seen in Shabu-Shabu and yudofu. These are made without any additional flavorings.
Nijiru Nabe (or "soup hot pot") - ingredients are cooked in a broth made from either vegetables or meat. The well-loved "anything goes" hot pot, Yosenabe, falls under this category.
Nabe with Rich Broths - ingredients are the main highlight, simmered in a richly flavored broth such as miso or sweet soy sauce. Sukiyaki is a classic example.
Nabe with Light Broths - ingredients are slowly simmered in a mild broth for a long time, allowing the flavors to blend gently. A good example of this would be Oden.
Popular Nabe Dishes to Try
1. Yosenabe (寄せ鍋)
A huge hit among locals, this kind of nabe is essentially an "anything goes" hot pot. The name uses the verb yoseru (寄せる), meaning "to put together." Combined with the word 'nabe,' it literally translates to "put together hot pot," and it lives up to its name! You can freely mix any combination of meat and vegetables in a donabe (a clay pot). This means yosenabe can differ from household to household.
People often use a light-flavored broth made with dashi (made from katsuobushi) and konbu (kelp) as the base. From there, you can add chicken, pork, or fish for flavor, along with mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, leeks, and other vegetables.
The only "rule" is ensuring all your ingredients are cooked by adding them based on which cooks the longest to the shortest. It's also uncommon to mix fish with other meat because it can mess with the flavor profile of the dish. After serving, if you have some broth left, toss in some noodles, rice, or egg to finish everything off.
2. Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ)
Another popular nabe dish, its name comes from the Japanese onomatopoeia for a swishing motion. Thinly sliced pork or beef is cooked in a broth similar to Yosenabe by gently swishing the slices back and forth with chopsticks. The meat is usually paired with vegetables like Chinese cabbage and tofu, then dipped in goma (sesame) sauce or ponzu before eating.
3. Motsunabe (もつ鍋)
A Fukuoka specialty, this dish originated as a hearty, budget-friendly meal for coal miners who needed energy for physical labor. It uses offal (either pork or beef intestines) cooked in a simple dashi broth alongside Chinese cabbage, leeks, and tofu. Today, it’s also popular among the beauty-conscious, since it’s rich in collagen.
4. Chanko Nabe (ちゃんこ鍋)
What was once a meal served to sumo wrestlers has now become a well-loved dish among everyone. Chanko nabe is slightly different from other nabe dishes because it uses chicken broth and often features chicken or thinly sliced pork (sometimes formed into meatballs), along with a wide variety of vegetables like carrots and shiitake and enoki mushrooms.
Traditionally, wrestlers avoided eating animals that stand on four legs, as that position symbolizes defeat in a match. While this custom isn’t strictly followed anymore, some sumo wrestlers still avoid such ingredients during tournaments.
With so many varieties of nabe, there's a whole world of flavor to explore! If you're travelling through Japan during the cold months, be sure to search for a local spot. You never know what unique, soul-warming nabe is waiting to fill your bowl (and your heart).
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