Kinoko Nabe Recipe

Cook rice

Rinse Koshihikari rice under cold water until the water runs nearly clear (3–4 rinses). Drain 30 seconds. Combine rinsed rice and 2.2 cups water (adjust per rice cooker instructions) in a rice cooker or heavy pot. Add 0.25 tsp salt if desired. Let soak 20–30 minutes, then cook according to your rice cooker or bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover and simmer 12–14 minutes. Remove from heat and rest covered 10 minutes. Keep warm until serving.

Prepare broth

If using kombu + katsuobushi dashi: put 6 cups cold dashi in a pot and warm gently. If using instant dashi, dissolve to make 6 cups. Add 1 cup tentsuyu, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sake and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and taste; adjust salt or tentsuyu to preference. Keep broth hot but not boiling.

Prepare mushrooms and vegetables

Clean mushrooms: trim stems on shiitake, separate maitake into bite-sized pieces, trim enoki bases and separate, break shimeji clusters apart, slice eryngii into 1/4" pieces. Cut napa cabbage into 2" pieces, cube tofu into 1" pieces, slice negi diagonally. Keep mizuna/shungiku and mitsuba separate (add late). Arrange mushrooms and vegetables on a platter for easy nabe assembly.

Add vegetables to broth: bring the prepared broth to a gentle simmer in a donabe (earthenware pot) or a wide shallow pot set over medium heat. Add harder vegetables first: cabbage, negi, and firm mushrooms (eryngii, shiitake). Simmer 3–4 minutes until cabbage begins to soften.

Add remaining mushrooms and tofu: add maitake, shimeji, enoki, and tofu. Simmer 2–3 minutes until mushrooms are tender but not falling apart. Keep broth at a gentle simmer—avoid rapid boiling to preserve mushroom texture and flavor.

Prepare gyutoro-8 (beef)

Arrange thin-sliced gyutoro-8 on a platter. Because slices are very thin, they will cook quickly in the hot broth. Set out small tongs or chopsticks for diners to briefly swish meat in broth (shabu-shabu style) or add to pot to cook for 10–30 seconds until just medium-rare to medium depending on thickness.

Heat through and finish nabe: once vegetables and mushrooms are tender, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Diners or the cook can add a few slices of gyutoro-8 to the hot broth, swish until cooked (about 10–30 seconds) and remove to individual bowls. Add mizuna/shungiku to the pot in the final 30–60 seconds to wilt; sprinkle mitsuba over the pot just before serving.

Serve with egg yolks: place chilled egg yolks in small bowls (one yolk per person). Diners may dip cooked meat and hot vegetables briefly into the raw yolk for a rich coating, or whisk yolk with a little ponzu for a dipping sauce. If concerned about raw yolk safety, cook yolk in a ladle briefly in simmering broth to warm through.

Serve condiments: place ponzu, grated daikon, and shichimi togarashi on the table. Encourage diners to dip cooked meat and vegetables into ponzu or ponzu mixed with grated daikon and a pinch of shichimi. The tentsuyu-enhanced broth will already be well seasoned, so dipping is an optional bright contrast.

When most of the mushrooms, vegetables, and beef are eaten and the broth is rich with umami, add leftover steamed Koshihikari rice (individual bowls or add small portions to the pot) to the simmering broth to make a ochazuke-like porridge. Simmer 2–4 minutes until rice breaks down slightly. Serve hot, topped with an egg yolk if desired, mitsuba, and a splash of ponzu.