Kinoko Nabe ‡ Recipe

Make dashi

If using homemade: combine 6 cups water and a 6–8 cm kombu piece in a pot and soak 30 minutes (or longer). Heat to just before boiling, remove kombu, add 15 g katsuobushi, boil 30 seconds, turn off, steep 2–3 minutes, then strain. If using prepared dashi, warm 6 cups.

To the warm dashi, add 1 tablespoon tentsuyu (concentrated), 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon mirin and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste and adjust: tentsuyu is concentrated, so add more (up to 2 tbs) if you prefer stronger flavor. Keep broth at a gentle simmer.

Prepare mushrooms: clean and trim. For shiitake, remove stems and slice caps. For enoki, trim root base and separate. For shimeji, cut base to separate clusters. Slice larger king oyster (eryngii) into 1 cm strips. Roughly tear maitake into bite-sized pieces.

Prepare vegetables: core and thinly slice napa cabbage into 2–3 cm ribbons. Separate baby bok choy leaves. Thinly slice daikon if using, and cut scallions on the diagonal into 3–4 cm pieces.

In the simmering broth, add the heartier vegetables first: napa cabbage and daikon. Simmer gently 3–4 minutes until beginning to soften, then add mixed mushrooms and simmer 2–3 minutes more until mushrooms are cooked through but still textural. Add bok choy and scallions in the last 1–2 minutes so greens remain bright.

Bring the pot to a gentle simmer (do not vigorously boil). Arrange thin slices of gyutoro-8 on a plate chilled slightly so they hold shape; the beef will be swished briefly in broth to cook rare to medium-rare.

Set out small shallow bowls for dipping. Place one fresh egg yolk in a small warmed bowl per serving (or place yolks on a communal small plate to be mixed with rice). Lightly season yolks with a pinch of salt if desired.

To serve: using chopsticks or tongs, pick up a slice of beef and swish it in the hot broth for 5–15 seconds until the surface turns pale pink (time varies with thickness). Dip the barely-cooked beef into the egg yolk, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and shiso or mitsuba. Place onto rice or eat directly.

Divide 2 cups cooked koshihikari rice among 4 warmed bowls (about 1/2 cup cooked rice per person if using as accompaniment; adjust if serving family-style). Drizzle about 1/4 tsp sesame oil per bowl and gently fluff. Place a few spoonfuls of mushrooms and some broth-soaked greens over the rice if desired.

For a donburi finish: after eating some nabe contents, ladle a small amount (100–150 ml) of hot broth with mushrooms over the rice, add a swished slice of beef atop, and break an egg yolk over everything. Garnish with yuzu zest and shiso leaves. Enjoy immediately.

Keep the nabe simmering at the table (if using a portable burner) and continue cooking additional vegetables and beef slices as guests eat. Taste broth near the end; adjust with a splash more tentsuyu or soy if the flavor has diluted.