Noodles and Rice

The Nabe

by Tom on October 11th, 2007

The dark and poorly taken photo above is a Nabe.  From what I can work out so is a conventional steel saucepan or pot.  But if we are talking traditional Japanese food, this is what a Nabe will look like. 

I cannot express to you the importance of this ceramic dish.  I would trade all of the bowls, plates, pots and pans in my cupboard for just one of these Nabe because they are so good.  Of course it is not so much the pot itself that is good, it is the culinary potential that I get so excited about.  You see a Nabe is where you are most likely to find 3 of the best winter dishes in the world.  Maybe I don’t need to list them here but I will anyway:

1. Shabu Shabu
2. Sukiyaki
3. Oden

These three dishes are practically the only reason that I look forward to winter (except maybe for skiing and onsen).  And as far as I am concerned, they are perfect when they are cooked at the table in my very own Nabe.

Now of course, there is nothing especially mystical about a Nabe.  In fact I guess that Shabu Shabu could equally be at home in a cast iron pan, but whatever you use you need to get the basics right.  Firstly it should be fairly thick through because there is no sense in having all the heat pouring in quickly through the base and burning your work.  The second thing is that it should be relatively shallow, because part of the fun is watching your food cook while you sit.  The third thing is that it should be quite big because the only thing better than cooking for 2 in a Nabe is having a whole bunch of people around for a Nabe party.

As you can probably see in the photo, I cook mine over a small portable gas burner, but pretty much any way you can manage will do.  Just make it safe and controllable, and you will be alright.

The hardest thing about Nabe is choosing the recipe and I’ll deal with that another time.  The best thing, as Ruth commented on the Shabu Shabu post the other day:

“What I love about Shabu Shabu is that, like the western fondue, it encourages slow eating, as well as long conversation and interaction while dining.”

Why not try this out this winter.  Either get yourself (or improvise) a Nabe, round up some friends and some squeaky fresh ingredients and settle in for a long and leisurely Nabe Party.

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Chicken nabe hotpot
Nabe Miso
Shabu Shabu
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POSTED IN: Cooking Equipment and Tools, Japanese, Uncategorized