Chanko Nabe (Sumo Wrestler Hot Pot)
Chanko Nabe is a hot pot dish consumed by sumo wrestlers. The chicken based broth and lots of different ingredients are so delicious.Just like any other hot pot dishes, the list of ingredients is long but you don't have to have all ingredients.Time to make Tsukune is not included. I separated the time to make Chicken Broth since it can be made ahead of time. Cook Time is only to make Chanko Nabe Broth as you only need to prepare the hot pot dish and let the diners cook.Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted, and this recipe, so you can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1000 ml 2.1pt water
- 1 whole chicken carcass (cut to half (about 600g))
- 1 pc konbu ((5cm x 10cm / 2” x 4”))
- 750 ml 1.6pt chicken broth ((made per the instruction, note 1))
- 100 ml cooking sake
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic (grated)
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 6 Tsukune (balls (note 2))
- 100 g pork belly (thinly sliced)
- 100 g chicken thigh fillet (cut to bite size pieces)
- 1 cluster bok choy (())
- 150 g Chinese cabbage leaves
- 35 g carrot
- 1 stem shallot/scallions
- 2 shiitake mushrooms
- 25 g enoki mushrooms
- 4 slice kamaboko ((5mm / 3⁄16" thick))
Instructions
- 1
Soak the konbu in a bowl of water (you will use this water later).
- 2
Bring water (not in ingredients) in a large pot to a boil, add the chicken carcass.
- 3
When it starts boiling again and the surface of the chicken carcass becomes white, drain and rinse the chicken carcass well, removing guts and other brown bits.
- 4
Add the chicken carcass and the konbu to the pot. Add 1000ml / 2.1pt water including the water from the konbu to the pot and bring it to a boil.
- 5
Remove scum and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for minimum 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour. Remove scum occasionally until no more brownish scum comes to the top.
- 6
Put through a sieve. If the amount of broth is less than 750ml / 1.6pt, add water.
- 7
Add all the Chanko Nabe Broth ingredients in a pot and bring it to a boil.
- 8
Turn the heat off and leave until required.
- 9
Bok choy: Remove outer leaves. Cut the central cluster of small leaves vertically to half or quarters depending on the thickness of the cluster. Wash well, particularly at the bottom of the stems where dirt collects. If the outer leaves are large, diagonally cut in half.
- 10
Chinese cabbage: If the leaf and the stem is very wide, halve vertically, then slice leaves diagonally. To diagonally slice, place the stem-end to the left (for a right hander) on the cutting board. Place a knife diagonally tilted to the right and slice the leaf diagonally to 5cm / 2” long pieces, by placing a knife.
- 11
Carrot: Cut a carrot to 5cm / 2” long, then slice vertically to 2-3mm / 1⁄16- ⅛” thick. If the rectangle is very wide, halve it vertically. Alternatively, slice the carrot diagonally.
- 12
Shallot/Scallions: Diagonally cut to 5cm / 2” long.
- 13
Shiitake mushrooms: Remove the stems. To decorate shiitake head (optional), make a shallow V-shape cut in the middle of the head, then another V-shape cut perpendicular to the first cut, making a cross (see the photo in the post).
- 14
Enoki mushrooms: Trim the end of the stems that are woody. If mushrooms are stuck together at the bottom, divide it into smaller bunches.
- 15
Place all the ingredients in a pot (note 3), clustering each ingredient together.
- 16
Add the broth to the pot and heat the pot on a portable stove (note 4).
- 17
Serve with small serving bowls.