Make glossy, sweet white rice or a rich chicken hot pot.
According to home cook Naoko Takei Moore , there ’s an exact science as to why Nipponese earthenware good deal , known as donabe , take out the best in dishes . Whether you ’re make unvarnished white rice or a rich , Kyoto - style miso hot deal , a donabe—“do ” meaning earth or corpse , “ nabe ” meaning sess — deserves a permanent position on your stovetop .
“ It ’s not just about the recipe or the cuisine , ” Takei Moore says . “ Ultimately , it ’s about the communal dining aspect of it . It ’s about the look of sharing a meal . Through donabe , we can really apportion the joy of preparation . ”
She should know . Takei Moore has spend more than a decennary introducing donabe cooking to stateside household chef . In 2008 , she started her donabe significance commercial enterprise , which snowballed into donabe cooking course , a cookbook , her donabe shopfront , Toiro , which she open up in 2017 in West Hollywood , and now , a YouTube channel , titled“Naoko ’s Happy Donabe Life . ” She ’s since adopted the title ofMrs . Donabe , a title she happily accept .
Naoko Takei Moore|Photo by Dylan + Jeni
But school the great unwashed about the donabe has been no well-off exploit for her . When Takei Moore arrived in the United States 21 year ago from Tokyo to meditate at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena , California , donabes were somewhat of an rethink to her and for the most part an unsung entity in the U.S.
Her love affair with donabe cooking was sparked in 2008 during one of her trips back home beyond the mickle of the historical Iga province , just south-west of Takei Moore ’s home city , Tokyo . It all started , she recalls , with a simple bowl of rice , fake in an Iga - style clay donabe pot made byNagatani - en , one of Japan ’s oldest producers of Iga - style donabes .
“ I corrode rice [ and ] I had a wow here and now , ” Takei Moore enounce . “ There was something just so particular about Iga - style donabes . After I come back to LA , I straight off adjoin the manufacturer and asked them if they ’d be interested in exporting their products . I had never had any experience as a trader before , but they had a positive response . ”
Cookware trends come and go , but donabes have long been a centerpiece of Japanese home cookery — so long , in fact , that the account of the earthenware Mary Jane is also a chronicle of Japan itself . In 1998 , archaeologist at the Odai Yamamoto I Site in the Aomori prefectureuncoveredfragments of prehistorical clay donabes go steady back to 16,500 old age ago . Donabe cooking as we know it today has its ascendant in the egress of Japan ’s culinary culture during the Edo period ( 1603 - 1867 ) , when donabe pots were first used to cook communal hot - pot dishes . Family - stylus donabe cooking come out during the 1900s as donabes became easy to aggregated produce .
Today , as less and less Japanese familiesreporteating meals communally , donabes have an almost bittersweet meaning . To many , they ’re a nostalgic reminder of a time when families still ate together , crowded around a dinner table after a farseeing mean solar day . Often used for family dinners or dinner party party with admirer , the communal nature of donabe cookery , Takei Moore writes in her cookbook , is a real life lesson in the Japanese idiom ichigo - ichie , meaning “ every moment is a once - in - a - lifetime treasure . ”
spring up up , Takei Moore call up her mother using a donabe to make an assortment of dishes , from Yose - Nabe , a freestyle red-hot pot , with black cod , napa Brassica oleracea , shiitake mushroom , and other seasonal vegetables in a simple soya sauce - interest broth . “ I was take up in a menage that assess intellectual nourishment , ” Takei Moore explicate . “ Japanese home preparation is really informed by the nontextual matter of subtraction . It ’s minimalism , ease , and a celebration of seasonal ingredients . ”
Toiro|Photo courtesy of Toiro
Takei Moore read the mantrap of a donabe really has to do with the fact that it ’s porous , which mean they take longer to establish oestrus , but can retain and equally distribute steady warmth over a foresightful full point of time . Donabes are also glazed , which helps manipulate ingredients with “ natural far - infrared radiotherapy ” akin to the gist that radiate charcoal has on grill food .
“ Japanese home preparation is really inform by the art of deduction . It ’s minimalism , simplicity , and a celebration of seasonal ingredients . ”
Donabes lend themselves to docile , slow preparation , trapping the aromas inside the clay great deal and coaxing out the raw flavors of simple ingredients . “ Because it ’s porous , it literally rest during cookery , release and taking in air as necessary [ … ] and controls its own heat , ” Takei Moore says . “ Donabe does all the work for you . ”
Double-lid Donabe Rice Cooker|Photo courtesy of Toiro
Cook the best white rice with a donabe
Whiletoday ’s Elmer Leopold Rice cookerscan leave in a middling safe steaming bowl of white rice , a donabe will produce rice like nothing you ’ve ever had before . Home cook Moe , fromYouTube cooking channel Kimono Mom , rede cook it in a donabe , which she ’s done for class .
“ When you use a donabe to wangle lily-white rice , the finis of the rice derive out shinier and the metric grain is more structured , ” Moe tell . “ It ’s also sweeter , because the way the high temperature travels through a donabe brings out the lifelike sweetness in the rice . ”
In fact , donabe - cooked white rice is so exceptional that some Elmer Reizenstein cooker manufacturers , such as Tiger , have introduced donabe - style rice cookers with clay - infused pot and heating mechanisms that replicate how heat trip through a donabe mickle . Part of what makes a donabe an ideal watercraft to cook Sir Tim Rice in is its heat retention , breathability , and the slow physique of heat in the sleeping room , per Takei Moore . “ [ A donabe ] provide a gradual then unshakable heating once it reaches its highest point , ” she suppose .
Miso Butter Hot Pot|Photo courtesy of Toiro
Moe ’s recipe for donabe white rice is dim-witted . First , rinse your Elmer Rice until the water runs decipherable . After you ’ve rinsed the rice , soak it in water for at least 30 proceedings and then transfer it to the donabe . Turn on the heat and once the water has boiled , determine it to a low heat for eight to 10 minutes . Turn off the heat , then wait another ten minutes . “ The fact that you’re able to fudge olympian rice in 10 , 15 minutes is one of the big collection of a donabe , ” says Moe . “ It ’s easy , toothsome , and tight . ”
The best recipes to try with your donabe
In Takei Moore ’s cookbook , capably titledDonabe , she and collaborator Kyle Connaughton have a divers range of recipe curated from her years learning both Nipponese and westerly - flair professional cooking . Think traditional menu like Salmon - Hijiki Seaweed Rice and Nipponese - Style Miso Keema Curry . Takei Moore ’s website , Happy Donabe Life , also features new recipes that are n’t listed in her book , such as a Somen Noodle and Cherry Blossom Hot Pot recipe and even a Shichimi - Flavored Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta . With donabe , it seems , everything go .
“ Because of my background , I feel comfortable fuse different tang visibility of Nipponese ingredient and westerly feel , ” Takei Moore tell . “ Donabe is not just about Japanese cooking , for Japanese acculturation , for Nipponese hoi polloi . It transcends different cultures . ”
One recipe Takei Moore suggest donabe newcomers try is her Tori - nabe ( or Chicken Hot Pot ) recipe , which she enunciate was made by Takako , the married woman of Nagatani - en ’s chair , which is detail below .
“ Do n’t worry about your skills , just let the donabe do the work for you , ” Takei Moore order . “ All you need to do is have a ripe bosom and put your love in it . I really believe if you put a set of good opinion and heart into your food , it naturally taste good . ”
Where to buy and how to take care of your donabe
Donabes are extremely approachable online . you may find oneself them at various retailers , like Amazon or Takei Moore ’s storefront , Toiro , which has an online store . Toiro specializes in Iga - style donabes from Nagatani - en , also know as Iga - yaki . What makes donabes from Iga so special ? accord to Takei Moore , the response is in the clay found in Iga .
“ The neighborhood used to be the bed of Lake Biwa about four million years ago in the prehistoric era , ” Takei Moore explains . “ The clay by nature contains fossilized microorganism . When you regulate it and burn it , the donabe ’s body becomes very porous and coarse . This eccentric of clay is get it on for its redundant durability and longevity [ … ] and it stays hot for a long time . That aspect is really important for making premium character Elmer Reizenstein with a donabe . ”
Much like your trustworthy cast - atomic number 26 skillet , a donabe require to be seasoned before use — not with cooking oil or lard , but with rice porridge . Per Takei Moore , the one - timeprocessis call medome , where you cook rice porridge in the donabe over down passion for 30 second to an 60 minutes , count on the size of your donabe . Stir now and then until your rice porridge becomes a thick spread and turn off the hotness , letting it cool for an hour . This seasoning summons strengthens the body of the donabe and prevents it from absorbing unwanted odor by filling the donabe ’s microscopic pores with starch . The extra effort is worth it : a well taken care of a donabe can last you a longsighted time , says Takei Moore .
As for things to not do with a donabe ? “ Never , ever bass fry , ” she says .
Tori-Nabe (or Chicken Hot Pot) Recipe
production : 4 servings
Ingredients:• 1 pound boneless skinless poulet thighs , cut into great sharpness - size pieces• ½ teaspoon ocean salt• 3 cups Chicken Dashi• 1 cup Kombu Dashi• ¼ cup sake• 2 ½ tablespoons mirin• 2 ½ tablespoons sauce• ½ minuscule head napa wampum ( about 10 ounce ) , turn off into chomp - size strip ( separate the bottom and leafy parts)• 2 Japanese green onions ( or 6 green onion ) , white and light green section , lightly sliced on the diagonal• 6 - 8 small carrots , halved crosswise• 8 ounces assorted mushrooms• 1 ( 14 - oz. ) software program medium - business firm bean curd , cut into 8 pieces• 5 ounces mizuna ( including stems ) , bottom ends trimmed and edit into 2 - column inch pieces• 1 ⅓ British pound chicken wings• 1 teaspoonful sea salt• 1 negi ( Nipponese gullible onion ) , or 2 green onions ( green portion only)• 1 thickening ginger , sliced into 3 to 4 pieces ( no need to flake if the ginger is very fresh)• 6 disgraceful peppercorns• 5 cup water• 5 cups water , low mineral content preferred• 2 straightforward small-arm kombu• Yuzu - kosho , for serve
Directions:1 . time of year the wimp all over with the salt . lease the chicken marinate for 1 hour.2 . Pat the chicken teetotal ( or gargle and pat dry if there is any blood line ) and compound with the rest of the factor in the donabe . hatch and set up over intermediate - eminent heat . As soon as the broth start to roil , flex down the heat to simmer . Skim as necessary . Cover again and simmer for 20 minutes . Turn off the oestrus and rent it rest for 15 second , or until the stock cools down ( about 1 hour).3 . Transfer the chicken offstage to a bowl and hold open for another use . sift the neckcloth through a okay - mesh topology sieve.4 . Combine the water and kombu in a donabe and allow the kombu intoxicate for 30 minutes . The kombu will restructure and double in sizing . mark the donabe , exposed , over intermediate heat . Just before the broth come to a simmer ( after about 15 moment ) , take away the kombu and turn off the heat.5 . Season the poulet all over with the salt . Let the chicken marinate for 15 - 30 minutes.6 . To make the broth : Combine the chicken dashi , kombu dashi , sake , mirin , and soy sauce in the donabe and add the bottom part of the napa cabbage . Cover and correct over average - high heat.7 . As presently as the broth starts to boil , grow down the heat to simmer . impart the chicken and the remainder of the ingredient except for the mizuna . Cover again and add back to a simmer . Simmer until everything is just ready through , about 3 - 5 minutes . Add the mizuna and fudge for 1 arcminute longer before turn off the heating system . do in individual bowls at the table and enjoy with yuzu - kosho .
