Popular Nabe Dishes in Japan

Nabe is simply the Japanese word for "pot" and Nabe dishes in Japan are all one-pot stews served at the table. Nabe dishes in Japan are the most social ways to eat with your friends, workmates or family. Nabe dishes in Japan are served in a deep ceramic dish filled with stock as it bubbles away over a gas burner in the centre of the table.

Ingredients of Nabe Dishes in Japan

Typical ingredients of nabe dishes in Japan are:

  -   Negi (Japanese leek)
  -   Hakusai (Chinese cabbage)
  -   Mushrooms
  -   Chicken
  -   Seafood
  -   Tofu
  -   Fishcakes

The ingredients of nabe dishes in Japan are cooked and put in the dipping sauce before eating. Once the meat and vegetables have been eaten the stock is richly flavored. You can then add noodles or rice to make a delicious soup.

Popular Nabe Dishes in Japan

Some nabe dishes in Japan are famous in their own right and even have specialist restaurants dedicated to them.

Fugu, the deadly blowfish is made into a nabe called techiri. The raw chunks of this killer fish are brought to your table still quivering from the expert cuts of the chef's blade.

Chanko-nabe dish in Japan is another special treat. This is the daily sustenance of the sumo wrestler. This nabe dish in Japan is twice as hearty and filling. Many chanko restaurants are run by former wrestlers and there's always plenty to go around.

Some special nabe dishes in Japan include:

  -   Oden: prepared with various fish cakes, daikon, boiled eggs, konyaku and kombu seaweed, boiled over many hours in a soya sauce based soup.

  -   Sukiyaki: prepared with thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shirataki (konyaku noodles). The pieces of food are dipped into a raw egg before eaten.

  -   Shabu-Shabu: it is Japanese style meat fondue. Thinly sliced meat, vegetables, mushrooms and tofu is dipped into a hot soup and then into ponzu vinegar or sesame sauce before being eaten.

  -   Chanko Nabe: it is the staple diet of sumo wrestlers. There are many varieties of chanko nabe.

Enjoy nabe dishes in Japan with your family and friends.