Pumpkin Hot Pot
Tadashi Ono prepares a comforting hot-pot dish using delicious kabocha pumpkin.
Place shiitake mushrooms in a large bowl and add 5 cups of water. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 5 hours.
Strain liquid into a large bowl, reserving both liquid and mushrooms. Trim stems and discard; cut caps in half and set aside. Add soy sauce and mirin to bowl with mushroom liquid; set aside.
Place kombu on the bottom of a 4 1/2- to 5-quart Japanese clay donabe or cast-iron pot. Top with pumpkin, daikon, taro, carrot, negi, cabbage, shimeji mushrooms, and reserved halved shiitake mushrooms. Add mushroom liquid mixture.
Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and add noodles; let simmer until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes more. Serve immediately garnished with shichimi togarashi.
Ever since I discovered kabocha squash, I have been looking for healthy ways to incorporate it. This soup is amazing: hearty but on a light side, the mushroom broth and kombu hit the umami spot, and the wonderful mix of veggies is very satisfying. Whenever I don't have taro on hand, I just use potatoes. I substitute napa cabbage with regular white or savoy cabbage. In a pinch, I use any mushrooms, like oyster, cremini, etc. The dish still comes out great. Do give it a try.