Japanese Hot Pot With Ginger Chicken

January 11, 2016

Hotpot is a very traditional Japanese dish, which is most often cooked on occasions where the host has several guests to cater for. That's because it's a simple one-pot classic which many people can help themselves to form a large dish, which can be placed in the centre of the table. Just give every guest a small bowl of rice, and allow them to strew a delicious heaped ladle of hot pot over the top. 

Of course, a spicy stew is also the perfect thing to eat in winter!

Here's a recipe for a stew based around ginger chicken, which is warming and comforting.

You Will Need

• 2 Tablespoons of Hon Dashi ( or for a more affordable alternative, try our essential dashi kit)
• 1 Tablespoon of minced ginger (fresh or jarred)
• 1/2 Small Chopped Onion
• 1 lb Chicken Breast (cut into 1-inch chunks)
• 1 Tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Beaten Egg
• 5-7 Tbsp Corn Starch
• A handful of Sugar Snap Peas
• A handful of Shiitake Mushrooms
• A handful of Chopped Carrots
• A handful of Enoki Mushrooms
• A handful of Chopped Cabbage

And For the Sauce

• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Chilies
• 1/4 Tbsp Sesame Oil

Method

• Make the dashi stock. Bring 500ml of water to the boil with the dashi kombu of hon dashi. If using the hon dashi, just wait for it to dissolve, but if using kombu dashi, boil for 20 mins then remove the pieces.
• Combine the chicken, egg, 1 tbsp soy sauce, chopped onion and ginger in a bowl and make small meatballs from the mix. 
• Place the meatballs in the broth and cook until the chicken is almost ready, then add the vegetables.
• Add all the sauce ingredients - this will make the broth delicious and moreish. 
• In the last few minutes of cooking, add the corn starch a tablespoon at a time until the broth thickens to the consistency you would like. It should be the consistency of hot and sour soup. 
• Serve in a large ceramic pot at the table, with bowls of rice.

Enjoy!