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One Pot Meals

There are many different kinds of one pot meals that you can try, especially if you are in Tokyo during the colder months from November to March.

The Japanese name for this type of meal is nabemono. Literally, nabe means "big pot" and mono means "things". What's nabemono? It's a big pot of whatever your favorite food stuffs are! The closest thing on and English menu would be a hearty winter stew.

Cooking and Eating Nabemono

Nabemono is a meal that is cooked at the table, either on a traditional charcoal burner or, more likely these days, on a portable gas stove.

One pot meals are another very social dish that involve shared cooking then helping yourself from the pot once everything is ready.

Shabu shabu is actually a member of the nabemono family, as is sukiyaki, but they have both become famous in their own right.

When the weather is cold this is a great dish to fill you with energy giving warmth. Help yourself to the pieces you want from the pot and then dip your selection in gomadare - sesame sauce, or try ponzu, a slightly bitter dipping sauce.

This dish goes perfectly with a generous portion of atsukan - hot sake.

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Ingredients For One Pot Meals

Basically, nabemono meals consist of a range of vegetables, cooked in a stock, with meat or seafood. You usually put the items that take the longest to cook in the broth first. Add everything else as and when so that nothing gets overcooked.

Common ingredient are chinese cabbage, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, Japanese green onions, carrots, daikon and other vegetables. The meat is up to you, although beef and chicken are the most common.

If you were prefer a fish based dish, select from the range of seafood on offer - there are no rules. Once you have eaten the goodies in the pot, you can then add some noodles to soak up the rich broth and finish your meal.

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Chanko Nabe - Sumo Food!

How does chanko nabe differ from other one pot meals? This is the traditional food of the sumo wrestler.

It is an essential part of the sumo diet and is chock full of ingredients to help them add bulk to their frames. In this case more is more!

If you go to see the grand sumo tournament in Ryogoku, you can try this dish for yourself. Just look out for the small shops round the station advertising chanko nabe. It's fattening, but delicious!