Last Thursday and Saturday, I hosted "Chanko" dinners in my Donabe & Japanese cooking class.
"Chanko" refers to any meals which Japanese sumo wrestlers eat. You might think they are heavy dishes, but the sumo wrestlers actually eat very balanced healthy meals. Their regular diet consists of a lot of protein and vegetables. They are so big because they intentionally put on weight by eating enormous amount of food. They also eat only 2 meals a day (right after a long hard training each time) and sleep right after each meal.
Sashimi salad...Wild-caught tuna and madai snapper, with a variety of vegetables. The dressing is a very healthy blend of kurozu (Japanese black vinegar), goji berries, etc.
Tofu and shimeji mushrooms "Okonomi-yaki" is a healthy version of popular Japanese (savory) pancakes. We made it with our tagine-style donabe, "Fukkura-san". Once the pancakes are done, I brushed the surface with the special oyster sauce (made from Hiroshima Oysters!) and topped with the shaved bonito/ kombu flakes and scallions. The pancakes were nicely crispy outside and so fluffy inside.
Time for the main course, which was salt butter chanko nabe (hot pot). The ingredients including the condiments were first brought to the table. The classic-style donabe, "Hakeme", with the broth was set over the burner at the table.
With the negi (Japanese green onion) and onions, only the chicken meatballs were cooked in the broth and served on the grated daikon for the first taste. The chicken was so fluffy and flavorful. The broth (my collagen-rich chicken stock base) was seasoned with sake, salt, light soy sauce, sesame oil, la-yu, and butter.
Then, we put more chicken with other ingredients to the broth. Everyone enjoyed it with different kinds of condiments ("yakumi").
The "shime" (end of the meal) course was "ojiya" (traditional soupy porridge). Once the rice was in the broth, the whisked eggs were drizzled over the mixture. As a finishing touch, sliced yuzu rind and chopped mitsuba were scattered over the ojiya. Using the rice cooked with our donabe rice cooker, "Kamado-san", certainly upgraded the simple porridge experience. The texture of the rice was so nice, and the yuzu gave such a wonderful aroma.
Classic Gruner-Veltliner was paired with the dinner.
Here's the menu...
Donabe and Japanese Cooking with Mrs. Donabe
Menu
Colorful sashimi salad with “kurozu” vinaigrette
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Tofu and shimeji mushrooms “okonomi-yaki”
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Collagen-rich salt butter “chanko nabe” hot pot
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“Shime ojiya”…end of the course classic soupy porridge
Wine Selection
2008 Geyerhof, Gruner Veltliner – Rosensteig (Kremstal, Austria)
The new class schedule for March will be announced very soon...so, please stay tuned!
Happy donabe life.
