Kimchi Seafood Nabe - キムチ 鍋焼きうどん

If I was going to open a concept take-away place, it would be Nabe-to-Go. Earthernware pots in a variety of sizes, filled with a selection of fresh vegetables, seafood, meats and tofu, some resting on a bed of udon noodles, floating in dashi flavoured with soy and mirrin, miso or kimchi.

You could grab one on the way home, paying for the ingredients and putting a refundable deposit on the nabe pot, pop it on a burner and within ten minutes you'd have a healthy, freshly cooked meal with no prep and one dirty dish to clean and return to the store at your conveinience.

That's what I was wishing for last night on the train, after a long day tramping around Shinjuku. Happily, it didn't take that long for lazy old me to grab a few things at the supermarket, chop up the veggies and layer it all into my little nabe.

You can use the nabe pot the way you would for shabu shabu, heating the broth and dipping your ingredients in one by one at the table, but I love the nabeyaki udon style, where udon noodles are simmered in the broth alongside your ingredients. My favorite restaurant near B's house does a seafood udon nabe in a wonderfully rich miso broth, with just the right touch of heat, so I thought I'd try making something similar at home.

I messed around with this recipe** for a classic chige nabe, changing most of the ingredients, adding more water and reducing the ammount of kimchi, and ended up with something resembling my goal, though with a more distinctive kimchi flavor. If I didn't love kimchi as much as I do, I might try substituting shichimi togarashi or chilli oil next time.



Recipe: Kimchi Nabeyaki Udon - キムチ　鍋焼きうどん
Serves 2

100 grams udon noodles (half a small packet) (うどん)
75 grams momen (cotton) tofu (木綿/もめん　豆腐)
4 big raw prawns, cleaned and shelled (生えび）
Small fillet cod (たら) or other white fish
1 bunch of boy choy aka chingensai　（ちんげんさい)
Handful enoki musrooms　
Handful fresh beanshoots
50 grams kimchi (around 2 dessert spoons)　(キムチ）
2TBSP miso paste (みそ)

• Place the noodles in the botton of the nabe and top with sliced vegetables, tofu, fish and kimchi.
  
  
• In a measuring jug disolve the miso paste in approx 1 cup hot water then pour into the nabe, topping with extra liquid until about 3/4 full.
  
  
• Place on a low-medium burner and simmer until prawns are pink and fish has cooked through.
  
  
• Serve.
  

** Yasuko-san's Home Cooking has a huge collection of Japanese family recipes that have been translated into English by her daughter with charming illustrations. At times the translations can be a bit difficult to understand (ie. 'velvet-stemmed agaric' instead of 'enoki') but it's a fascinating insight into the everyday food you don't see in restaurants or glossy dinner party cookbooks.