Nabemono is a traditional Japanese soup typically served in wintertime, when the warmth of hot broth seems particularly welcome. It's a simple, throw-it-together kind of a food - one that can adapt easily to whatever bits of fish, meat, or vegetables lurk in your refrigerator. I make it frequently in the winter, particularly when I am tired but in want of something nourishing.
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Nabemono is a compound word; that is, it combines the word nabe (cooking pot) with mono (stuff). Nabemono are typically cooked in a clay pot called a donabe. They're beautiful little pots, and very versatile. Of course, you can also substitute a clay baker or a Dutch oven.
Broth for Nabemono
When I prepare nabemono at home, I start first as I do with any soup recipe; I start with delicious broth. To make a true fish stock requires fish bones, fish heads, and other scraps which I typically don't have access to, so I typically make my broth from a combination of kombu (a seaweed) and bonito flakes which are smoked and dried fish that's shaved paper-thin. You can find both in Asian markets and well-stocked health food stores. Combined together with filtered water, they make dashi - traditional Japanese stock that, unlike other broths and stocks, takes only a little time as opposed to several hours for a good bone broth.
Assembling the Nabemono
I also like to paint a bit of miso onto the donabe itself - as the broth hits the ingredients and donabe, the miso dissolves and leaves its beautiful, rich flavor. After painting the pot with miso, simply arrange your vegetables, proteins, and herbs in the pot. Duck and mushrooms are good. My favorite pot, when I was a child, held the surprise of a little crab (put in live) among the wakame and other herbs.
Cover your ingredients with broth, and continue cooking for a few minutes. Traditionally, nabemono continues cooking on a little gas stove at the table, but I typically place mine in the oven for 15 minutes or so.
