Dear Reader,

Extreme diets, already-prepared delivery meal services, and snacks that tout themselves as healthy are not necessarily “bad” for us, but over time they are unsustainable and can’t complement our social and emotional needs.

We’re complex humans, not robots, and food needs to reflect that. In this sense, food is not just fuel — it’s society, it’s culture, it’s love, and it’s community.

While leading a healthy lifestyle can be a lot of things, I believe, that to address these very human needs, we need to base our eating around home cooking.

But I’m not ignorant of the demands of modern life. We have work, we have school, and we all lead increasingly busy lives that command our constant attention and energy.

Home cooking and sitting down with the family is not as easy as it seems — it can be really difficult. But luckily, I have a solution to offer: nabemono!

What is nabemono?

Nabemono, or often known as hot pot in the United States, is a popular wintertime dish in Japan. Like how American households may bring out their winter shovels or clean out their fireplaces when it gets cold, Japanese households bring out their clay pots and counter-top stoves so they can pull together nabemono meals for the rest of winter.

Nabemono is delicious, warming, and hearty to the soul as it is to the stomach, but perhaps the continuous popularity and long-term tradition of winter nabemono lies in the absolute ease it offers for busy households.

1. Cooks as it served

If you’re like me and don’t always have the time to stand over a pot to cook dinner, nabemono is the perfect solution.

Chop, simmer, serve.

Nabemono cooks as it is served, so instead of standing in the kitchen you can spend that time sitting down at the table with family or friends instead. Health is as much feeding the soul as it is feeding the stomach.

2. Use what’s left in the fridge

Nothing is worse than planning to make something, and realizing that a key ingredient is missing, and finding yourself running to the grocery store at the last minute. Or maybe it’s that there is a specific ingredient you need, but it’s only available in bulk, and you find yourself resistant to buying it because you have no idea how you’re going to be able to finish it before it expires.

The beauty of nabemono is that there are virtually no ingredient specifications necessary. No rice at home? You can have it with noodles instead. No carrots? That’s okay, you still have mushrooms and cabbage. Is the broccoli about to go bad? No problem, just toss it in.

Serve it with a simple kombu-based broth and dipping sauces like ponzu or goma dressing, or make your own concoction of kimchi-based soup or miso pork broth. Nabemono is less science, but rather art.

3. No measuring requirement

The lack of rules around nabemono makes it more enticing to adopt– and the absence of having to measure ingredients makes it perfect for those who don’t have time or energy. There is no such thing as too much cabbage, carrots, spinach, or meat, for you only add into the pot as you eat.

And if you find your broth a little too salty? Just add a bit more water. Or maybe the broth isn’t flavorful enough? Just add a bit more sauce.

Eat in peace knowing that you can’t mess up the flavor of nabemono, even if you aren’t measuring any of the ingredients. Eyeballing it is not just acceptable, but it can even be considered the proper way to enjoy the meal.

We need home cooking, but the realistic version of it

Home cooking is important when it comes to our well-being. It grants us the freedom to be in complete control of what we put into our bodies, something which can’t be replaced by ready-made meals and takeout in the long-run.

It encourages us to sit down with others, slow down when we eat, practice gratitude, and enjoy the art of taking care of ourselves.

But the reality is that we lead busy lives, and we don’t always have time to chop, cook, plate, and wash dishes for every meal we eat.

I’m not oblivious to the demands of modern life–for rarely is the case that we don’t want to eat healthfully or that we hate vegetables–but many of us struggle to find time for home cooking because it just takes a bit too much time and too much energy that we don’t have to spare.

But nabemono? Even on my most sluggish of days, the ease and simplicity of it allows me to cook something healthy at home.

Recipe: Classic kombu-based nabemono

Ingredients:

• Napa cabbage
• Carrots
• Leeks
• Maitake mushrooms
• Firm tofu
• Thinly sliced pork (or choice of protein– chicken thighs, salmon, and shrimp also make good choices!)
• Sheet of kombu
• Sesame dipping sauce (or ponzu dipping sauce)
• Rice (or noodles)

Instructions:

1. Wash and chop up the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place the portable stove top on the table, with the clay pot on top.
3. Add the kombu sheet to the pot as instructed, and put on high heat. Once it starts simmering, lower the heat and add in cut vegetables, meat, and rice to personal liking and pace. Enjoy!

Bonus: 3 tips to make it even easier

1. Buy pre-washed and pre-chopped vegetables (carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, work great pre-cut)
2. Use frozen meat or seafood( Don’t worry about timing your grocery shopping, frozen allows you to always have options at home)
3. Buy prepared dashi broth

• Kombu sheets can be intimidating for those who haven’t used them before. You can instead buy prepared dashi broth, one of my favorites being Kayanoya’s dashi packs.
• They also have pre-made nabemono soup packs if you’re looking for more creative flavors.

Reminder: Convenient cooking doesn’t mean not healthy!

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