Anything Goes Donabe

By LRay

Bon Appetit, January 2015, Page 82.

Chicken, seafood, glass noodles, and vegetables get briefly poached in dashi-based broth. Cutting the ingredients into uniform pieces ensures they cook in the same amount of time.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce bean thread noodles, soaked in water 15 minutes
• 4 cups Dashi
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce (usukuchi)
• 4 scallions, 2 thinly sliced on a steep diagonal, 2 sliced 2 inches thick
• 1/4 head of Napa cabbage, sliced into 2-inch pieces
• 4 littleneck clams
• 4 jumbo shrimp, preferably head-on
• 1 6-ounce red snapper or black bass fillet, sliced crosswise 3/4 inch thick
• 1 large skinless, boneless chicken thigh, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 ounces firm tofu, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 4 ounces oyster mushrooms, torn into bite-size pieces
• 3 ounces enoki mushrooms
• 1 small carrot, peeled, halved crosswise, thinly sliced lengthwise

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place noodles in a large bowl and add cold water to cover; let soak 15 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, combine dashi, mirin, and soy sauce in a medium bowl.

Place thinly sliced scallions in a small bowl and add cold water to cover. Soak until they begin to curl, 8–10 minutes. Drain; squeeze to remove excess water.

Lay cabbage in a large donabe or Dutch oven. Arrange clams, shrimp, snapper, chicken, tofu, mushrooms, carrot, 2" scallion pieces, and noodles on top; add dashi mixture.

Cover donabe and heat over medium-high until liquid is just simmering. Uncover, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer until clams open and chicken and fish are cooked through, 5–8 minutes.

Serve topped with drained scallions.