When you think of a hot pot, you think of something that boils down to a simmer, but this time, Ai Hosokawa introduced us to the ``aburi nabe,'' which is a dish in which grilled meat and vegetables are served with soup.
"It's different from the general image of a hot pot. You can intentionally enjoy the soup and roasted ingredients in a hot pot. You could call this a 'changing hot pot.'"

Roasting both meat and vegetables concentrates the deliciousness of the ingredients and gives them a richer aroma. Rather than simmering it in a mildly flavored soup, you can enjoy the flavors of each ingredient layered on top of each other. Unlike regular hot pots, this hot pot allows you to freely change the flavor and style.

The grilled pork and burdock with sesame sauce are both delicious on their own. It's fun to wrap them in vegetables, eat them with soup, or add plenty of condiments to create a variety of flavors on each plate.

Since the beginning of autumn, this ``aburi nabe'' has most often appeared on the Hosokawa family's dining table. This hotpot can be enjoyed all year round, incorporating seasonal vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and radish in the winter, and eggplant and tomatoes in the summer.

Burdock 100g
Water enough to cover the burdock
10g vinegar
appropriate amount of salt
Appropriate amount of ground sesame seeds

Wash the skin of the burdock root, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and put it in a pot.
If it is thick, cut it into pieces about 5-7mm thick.
Pour enough water to cover, add vinegar and salt, cover and boil until the burdock is soft.
When it becomes soft, turn off the heat and leave it to soak in the boiling water.
Before serving, sprinkle with plenty of ground sesame seeds.

Chestnut miso (for 4 people)

Miso 40g
Sesame oil 5g
5g ground sesame seeds
10g boiled chestnuts

Mix the miso, sesame oil, and ground sesame seeds well, and finish by crushing the boiled chestnuts.

juice
1 liter of water
Kelp 15g
Iriko 10g
50g of sake
6g salt

soup ingredients
4 boiled chestnuts
4 shiitake mushrooms
4 taro

Other ingredients
Grilled pork
Burdock with sesame sauce
Myuga
Ginger
Green vegetables, salad greens, baby leaves, etc. (things that are delicious when eaten raw)

Soak the kelp and sardines in enough water overnight, put in the refrigerator, and remove the water.
Strain the dashi into a clay pot, add the sake and salt, and bring to a boil.
Steam the chestnuts and taro until soft and then peel them.
Remove the hard parts of the shiitake mushrooms.
Grill each piece on a burner or on a grill until lightly browned.
Add roasted chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and taro to the soup in the earthenware pot, cover, and simmer over low heat.
Thinly slice the grilled pork, drizzle with the boiled sauce, and add chopped Narazuke.

In a separate bowl, add the burdock root, shredded ginger and myoga, green vegetables, and chestnut miso.

Each person picks up some green vegetables and wraps them around grilled pork, burdock root, ginger, and myoga.
After that, each person pours the soup and toppings into their bowls and eats them as is.
You can change the taste by adding chestnut miso or roasted pork.

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe for summer hotpot "grilled eggplant hotpot"

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe Spring hotpot "Cabbage roll hotpot made in a small pot"　

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe for winter hotpot "red wine hotpot"

→Ai Hosokawa's recipe Autumn hotpot "Lotus root hotpot"

→ Ai Hosokawa's recipe for summer hotpot "red hotpot"

Ai Hosokawa

Cook. He hosts cooking classes and cooking parties in taishoji, Kumamoto. Many books are currently on sale, including ``Toast'' (BON Publishing), ``Standard Cooking Book'' (Anonyma Studio), ``Travel and Cooking'' (CCC Media House), and ``Taishoji Cookbook 1.2'' (Shobunsha).

Photography by Ai Hosokawa