Recipe Highlights
My son is all the time juggling finding out, work, and a social life, so I taught him to meal prep his favourite sizzling pot. He packs particular person containers of greens, hen, fried tofu, and mushrooms and stashes them within the freezer. They’re able to cook dinner after an extended day.
A weeknight nabe takes virtually no effort. With a frozen Japanese Scorching Pot Meal Prep equipment, a fast dashi broth, and seasonings, dinner is on the desk in 10 minutes.
- Prep as soon as, eat six occasions – makes 6 particular person frozen kits
- Prepare dinner straight from frozen – no defrosting wanted
- Totally customizable – swap it up with in-season greens and your favourite proteins
Should you love nabe and Japanese sizzling pot, strive my Sukiyaki Recipe, Mille-Feuille Nabe, and Chanko Nabe recipes subsequent!
What’s Japanese Scorching Pot Meal Prep?
Japanese sizzling pot, or nabe (鍋), is a one-pot dish in Japanese cooking the place proteins, tofu, and greens simmer collectively in a light-weight, savory broth. This meal prep model allows you to pack and freeze particular person kits forward of time, then cook dinner them straight from frozen. Nabe is good for meal prep as a result of many of the components freeze nicely with out texture loss.
Substances for Japanese Scorching Pot Meal Prep
- boneless, skinless hen thighs
- aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
- shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms
- shiitake mushrooms
- shungiku (chrysanthemum greens)
- napa cabbage
- kabocha squash
- daikon radish
- carrots
- Tokyo negi (lengthy inexperienced onion)
Keep away from freezing: Tofu, potatoes, Japanese candy potatoes, konnyaku, shirataki noodles, and iceberg lettuce
Be aware: Deep-fried tofu akin to aburaage and atsuage are the exception.
Broth:
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
The best way to Make Japanese Scorching Pot Meal Prep
- Prep the components. Minimize the hen, greens, mushrooms, and aburaage to measurement.
- Pack the containers and freeze. Line containers with parchment paper and layer within the components. Seal the lids and freeze. You possibly can alternatively use freezer-safe plastic baggage.
- Make the broth. When able to cook dinner, add water and a dashi packet to a pot or donabe. Convey to a boil, steep for two–3 minutes, then discard the packet. Add mirin and soy sauce.
- Prepare dinner. Add the frozen sizzling pot equipment to the broth, mushroom facet dealing with up. Cowl and simmer 8–10 minutes—till the hen is opaque and cooked by means of and the cabbage is tender.
- Serve. Get pleasure from with ponzu, if desired.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
These easy ideas will assist you to make Japanese Scorching Pot Meal Prep kits completely each time.
- Line the containers with parchment paper. It makes the frozen block straightforward to take away. Let it sit for 3 minutes earlier than releasing. If wanted, run a butter knife alongside the edges to loosen earlier than tipping out.
- Layer with texture in thoughts. Place dense greens like napa cabbage and daikon on the backside of the pot so that they get essentially the most warmth. Tender greens and mushrooms go on high.
- Prepare dinner straight from frozen. Don’t defrost earlier than including to the pot. Placep the frozen block straight within the boiling broth. This retains the greens from getting waterlogged.
- Steep the dashi packet like a tea bag. Don’t open it. To make inventory, add the packet to chilly water, convey it to a boil, simmer, and discard the packet.
- Use glass containers with hermetic lids. They stop freezer odors from transferring and make stacking straightforward. Every container holds one full serving.
Variations and Customizations
Seeking to change issues up? Attempt these straightforward and attractive concepts!
- Swap the protein. Change the hen with thinly sliced beef, pork, salmon, cod, scallops and seafood, fish balls, hen meatballs, or fried tofu for a vegan model.
- Change up the mushrooms. Enoki, maitake, or oyster mushrooms maintain up nicely on this broth.
- Attempt totally different greens. Spinach, bok choy, kale, or watercress can sub for chrysanthemum greens if it’s laborious to search out.
- Season the broth otherwise. For extra selection, discover different nabe broth types—miso, sesame, or spicy.
See my full Nabe: Your Final Japanese Scorching Pot Information for broth, protein, vegetable, and condiment concepts.
The best way to Serve Japanese Scorching Pot Meal Prep
I serve this with a dipping sauce on the facet to let everybody season their bowl to style. Listed below are my picks:
- Home made Ponzu Sauce – A citrusy, soy-based dipping sauce that cuts by means of the richness of the broth. Mild and refreshing.
- Sesame Sauce (Goma Dare) – Nutty, wealthy, and creamy. A satisfying distinction to the clear broth. See The best way to Make Sesame Sauce at dwelling.
- Shime (〆) Course – Add cooked Japanese short-grain rice or precooked udon noodles to the remaining broth and simmer till warmed by means of. It’s the very best half.
Storage and Reheating Ideas
To retailer the prepped kits: Retailer in containers lined with parchment paper and seal with hermetic lids. Freeze for as much as 1 month, or preserve within the fridge and use inside 1–2 days.
To retailer cooked leftovers: Refrigerate for as much as 2–3 days. Don’t refreeze.
To reheat: Return to a pot with a splash of water or broth and heat over medium-low warmth till heated by means of.
FAQs
Can I take advantage of a special broth?
Do I actually add the components straight from frozen?
Sure! A frozen sizzling pot equipment consists of each dense and leafy greens cooked collectively. Whereas not supreme for texture, it’s designed for comfort—leafy greens maintain up nicely as they cook dinner and readily take up the broth.
Why did the feel of the components change after freezing?
Ice crystals kind inside and puncture the cell partitions. As soon as thawed, the cells can’t maintain their form, so the feel modifications—usually turning tender, spongy, or grainy.
See the ingredient checklist above for solutions.
What number of servings does one equipment make?
Every container holds one full serving. This recipe makes 6 kits whole.
I’d love to listen to how yours turned out! 💛 Please go away a star score and remark under to share your expertise. Your suggestions not solely helps Simply One Cookbook but in addition helps different dwelling cooks uncover recipes they will belief.
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For the Scorching Pot Substances
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Collect all of the components. Some components do not freeze nicely—the feel can flip tender, spongy, or grainy. See Notes under.
To Put together the Substances
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Minimize ¼ medium kabocha squash crosswise in half, then into skinny slices. Nami’s Tip: For my finest ideas and step-by-step directions, see The best way to Minimize a Kabocha Squash.
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Minimize 4 inches daikon radish in half lengthwise, then crosswise into ⅜-inch (1-cm) half moons. Minimize 1½ medium carrots diagonally into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices.
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Take away the core from ¾ medium napa cabbage. Minimize the leaves crosswise into 1½-inch (3.75 cm) items. Separate the tender leaves and thick white elements.
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Minimize 1 bunch shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) into 2-inch (5-cm) items. Diagonally slice 1 Tokyo negi (lengthy inexperienced onion) thinly.
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Minimize off the stems from 12 shiitake mushrooms. Make an ornamental sample on the caps, if desired. Minimize off the basis finish from 1½ packages shimeji (brown beech) mushrooms and separate them into small clumps together with your fingers.Nami’s Tip: It is fairly straightforward to brighten shiitake caps. Comply with my step-by-step tutorial for The best way to Make a Flower Sample on Shiitake Mushroom Caps.
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Minimize 3 items aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) crosswise into 1-inch (2.5 cm) items. Slice 3 items boneless, skinless hen thighs into bite-size chunks about 2 inches (5 cm).
To Freeze
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Retailer the recent pot kits within the freezer for as much as 1 month.Nami’s Tip: To refrigerate as a substitute, use inside 1–2 days.
To Prepare dinner (One Serving)
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Collect the broth components and one frozen meal prep container. Don’t defrost—cook dinner straight from frozen. Let it sit for 3–5 minutes earlier than releasing.
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Add 2 cups water and 1 dashi packet (don’t open it) to a donabe or pot. Convey to a boil over medium warmth. Shake the packet a couple of occasions, then scale back to medium low and simmer for 2–3 minutes.Nami’s Tip: Use the dashi packet like a tea bag to steep taste into the recent water.
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Discard the packet. Add 1 Tbsp mirin and 2 Tbsp soy sauce to the inventory. Stir to mix and convey it to a mild boil.
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Take away the frozen sizzling pot components from the container. If wanted, run a butter knife alongside the edges to loosen earlier than tipping out. Peel off the paper lining.
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Add the frozen block to the boiling broth, mushroom facet up and napa cabbage facet down. Cowl and simmer for 10 minutes, till the hen is opaque and cooked by means of and the greens are tender.
To Serve
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The recent pot is flavorful by itself, however Ponzu Sauce makes an amazing dipping sauce if desired.
Variations and Customizations
Seeking to change issues up? Attempt these straightforward and attractive concepts!
- Swap the protein. Change the hen with thinly sliced beef, pork, salmon, cod, scallops and seafood, fish balls, hen meatballs, or fried tofu for a vegan model.
- Change up the mushrooms. Enoki, maitake, or oyster mushrooms all maintain up nicely on this broth.
- Attempt totally different greens. Spinach, bok choy, kale, or watercress can sub for shungiku if it’s laborious to search out.
- Make good do-it-yourself dashi. Attempt our traditional Awase Dashi or Vegan Dashi in simply 20 minutes.
- Season the broth otherwise. For extra selection, discover different nabe broth types—miso, sesame, or spicy.
See my full Nabe: Your Final Japanese Scorching Pot Information for broth, protein, vegetable, and condiment concepts.
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