Nabe Pot - Hoe to use it?

[Jerochan]

Hello! Nice to meet you all! I'd like to ask about this kind of clay pot and hoe to use it.

Is 1-2-3 "use it only when it's dry - don't cook anything that is not wet - heat it gradually'' enough to use it or should I care about anything else?

Can I use it on normal gas heater and/or little candle (don't know how to explain it in english... the one you use for fondue bourguignonne)?

After using it, it is normally cleaned/dried? Should I take special care about it?


Thank you!

[pipokun]

1. The first dish should be rice porridge, any flavors will be OK, for rice works like a glue and it coats the inside.
2. Don't wash it while it is hot.
3. When you find small cracks, cook rice porridge again.
My small donabe pot, costing me less than 1 euro, have been used for 4yrs. And I hope my bigger one bought 2yrs ago will survive more.
4. Don't wash the outside, esp., the bottom part.

Can I use it on normal gas heater and/or little candle (don't know how to explain it in english... the one you use for fondue bourguignonne)?
Yes, you can use both of them.
I recommend you should buy a portable gas burner if you wish to try more hotpot dishes in winter.

[Jerochan]

Thank you for your answer. Rice porridge...:relief: mmm... do you have any recipe for it?

[undrentide]

Rice porridge can be made easily - put a handful of rice, add 1-2 cups of water, boil it till rice becomes very soft and squashy.Or put cooked rice instead of raw grains.

If you're interested in cooking porridge, I can write more proper recipe, but if you just want to make prridge to prevent leakage, you can boil the water in which you cooked pasta, or put a little flour and water and boil it in the pot.
:-)

[Uncle Frank]

I smoked some of that Nabe pot once and my brain is still messed up, strong stuff when inhaled deep!

Uncle Frank

:blush:

[Jerochan]

I'm really interested in knowing about porridge recipe :cool: Write more! I'm really interested in all kind of japanese recipe so...

[undrentide]

OK, then a simple way to cook おかゆ (okayu = rice porridge).

1. "Wash" the rice grain.
Measure out the rice with a measuring cup. If you don't have such a cup, an ordinary cup or glass is OK but you have to remember how much the rice was.

Put the grain in the pot (or in a bowl, if the pot is too heavy or you are not sure about handling the pot). Add enough water so that all the grain is submerged. Stir the rice grains with your hand, then drain the water soon. Add water again, quick stirring, then quick draining. (Be careful not to spill the rice grains!!)
At the beginning, the water becomes very much white and murky, which comes from the rice. But after repeating this "washing", the water becomes clearer. Just repeat it a few times (or 4-5 if you like), no need to repeat it until the water becomes completely clear.

Do this "washing" quickly, otherwise the rice absorb water or the rice start to crack and crumble...

2. Drain the rice well - if you are not sure, use a colander or a tea strainer, then put the rice in the pot.
Add water. The quantity of the water should be as 5 times as much as the rice in volume.
I.e. if use 1 cup of rice, you need 5 cups of water. (How big or small is your clay pot? First see how much water it can take. You should not use the pot brimming full, as it may boil over while you are cooking!
You should keep the level of the liquid up to 50-60% of the height of the pot.
If your pot can hold 6 cups, for example, then you should use 1/2 cup of rice, and 2+1/2 cups of water.

3. Put the pot on the cooking stove. Put the heat at "high" or "medium", until the pot start boiling. Once boiling started, turn the heat down to "low".
(Otherwise it will boil over or the porridge will get burned at the bottom.)
Keep the lid on but make a small opening between the pot and the lid to let out the steam.

4. Cook about 60 minutes. Check the porridge now and then (but not too often), so that there're enough water while cooking. You can stir it with a spoon or a ladle to see if the porridge becomes too thick and sticking at the bottom of the pot.
Don't stir the porridge too often, though, or you'll get a pot of paste instead of porridge! ;)

Good porridge looks grainy soup but once you put it in your mouth, it just melt in your mouth.

Plain porridge can be eaten just with a light sprinkle of salt, but anything salty goes well with it.
- umeboshi (pickled plum which is very salty and sour)
- tsukudani (small fish or vegetables cooked in a soy sauce and sugar)
- nori (dried sheet of seaweed, usually used for sushi rolls, tear it up in to very small pieces and put it on the porridge)
just for example.

Here are the photos of rice porridge I found on the net.
http://img.store.yahoo.co.jp/I/jiyujin_gb1908_0
http://image.infoseek.co.jp/recipe/l/199908155.jpg
http://www.zpw.co.jp/img/recipe/ps_recipe-09.jpg
http://toko.stargroove.jp/diary/images/20060513_0.jpg
http://miyuki.air-nifty.com/blog/images/5-0107.jpg
http://www.komenet.or.jp/recipe/recipeimg/ss-135.jpg

Hope you'll enjoy it. :-)

[Jerochan]

I will try it ASAP! With umeboshi (something I really like to eat) or katsudon style with eggs and onions topping.

Thank you very much for instruction!