RECIPE: Yosenabe (Hot Pot) with Kuzukiri 

Quick, healthy, and filling! Yosenabe is a Japanese-style hot pot that is commonly made with vegetables, seafood, and meat. This vegan-friendly recipe uses a vegan dashi soup base and kuzukiri noodles to make great flavour and texture!

The best part of hot pot is that it’s super easy and versatile! For this recipe, make your soup base by adding dashi to a pot of water over heat. Add soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Then, chop the vegetables. Once the water is boiling, add the vegetables and kuzukiri noodles to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes and serve! This recipe is vegan-based, but you can easily rearrange the ingredients to add your favourite seafood, meats, noodles, and other vegetables!

What is vegan dashi?

This vegan dashi powder is made with 100% natural ingredients. Its base is made with a traditional blend of umami-rich Japanese kombu (kelp) and shiitake mushrooms. These ingredients are responsible for creating savoury, sweet, and earthy flavours in Japanese broths! You can also use regular dashi powder for this recipe, which generally uses smoked fish as its base ingredient.

What is kuzukiri?

Kuzukiri is a clear noodle made from the starch of kudzu root. It has a translucent, silky appearance and a smooth, jelly-like texture. Although it does not have much flavour, kuzukiri is enjoyed in hot pots for its mochi-like chewiness!

The kuzukiri starch (kuzuko) is considered the highest grade of starch in Japan and it is commonly used to make wagashi (Japanese sweets). The kudzu root is obtained from 30-50 year old vine roots in the mountainous areas of Japan. The root is prepared through a long and delicate process where a small amount is extracted into starch. This clear noodle is enjoyed in hot pots during the winter, but it is also appreciated as a cold dessert in the summer!

Serving: 2

Ingredients: 

• 8 leaves Chinese cabbage
• 200g shimeji mushrooms (or your favorite mushrooms)
• 600ml dashi (2 packets vegan dashi powder mixed in 600ml of water)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 20-30g kuzukiri (kudzu noodles)
• 4-5 pieces fu (wheat gluten)

Instructions:

1. To prepare the vegetables, cut Chinese cabbage into 3cm pieces. Cut off the roots of the shimeji mushrooms and break them up.
2. Make the dashi in a pot or nabe by adding the Shojin Dashi powder to 600ml of water and heating over medium heat. Add the soy sauce, sake and mirin. When boiling, add the Chinese cabbage, shimeji mushrooms, Kuzukiri and Fried Sendai Fu. Cover with a lid, and simmer over low heat for 10 mins.
3. Enjoy straight from the pot or nabe by taking small portions into your individual bowl.

Introduction courtesy of Tiffany Furukawa

Tiffany spent her childhood exploring Japanese food in the suburbs of Tokyo and helping her Obaachan (grandmother) in the kitchen. These experiences nurtured her passion for food and she is now studying environmental sustainability and food sciences at university. In her free time, Tiffany loves discovering hidden restaurants in Japan, trying out new recipes in the kitchen, and going on runs!