It’s a bit like a live-action episode of Miss Perfect Evolution

Japanese hotpot has a long history. Most diners’ impressions of Japanese food are cool and refreshing summer dishes, such as Fresh sashimi, delicious sushi and more. In fact, Japanese hot pot has a long history. It has many types and exquisite soup bases, including seafood hot pot, dashi hot pot, etc. Among them, "Sukiyaki hot pot" was invented by Japanese farmers. Legend has it that Japan had this habit of eating hot pot in ancient times. Farmers put fish, meat and vegetables into pots on pits and cooked them while eating. Since the second half of the 19th century, hotpot eating has become popular in Japan. People cut beef into thin slices and cook it in a pot with seafood and vegetables. They eat it with seasonings made of raw egg juice, soy sauce and sugar. . Now, Japanese hot pot has developed further, and the soup base, ingredients and condiments are much more sophisticated than before.

Seafood Hot Pot

Because Japan is located in a temperate zone, with frequent sea currents on all sides, the unique natural environment brings abundant catches. Especially in winter, most fish are full of fat, and shrimps, crabs, clams, and shells are rich in meat. Therefore, the main ingredients of hot pot are seasonal seafood, such as monkfish, live abalone, king crab, octopus, yellowtail, and real fish. Sea bream, eel, etc. are all top choices for seafood hot pot ingredients.

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Yamsan hot pot

In addition to seafood, Japan’s mountain hot pot is also unique, such as the bright red and white, fat and luscious duck Hot pot, and local chicken hot pot with a firm texture and delicious soup. In addition, Ishikari hot pot, which is famous for its soup and tastes very warm, as well as the well-known beef shabu-shabu, and kimchi hot pot, which is modified into kimchi, are the essence of Japanese hot pot dishes.

Pure dashi stock

In addition to rich ingredients, traditional Japanese hot pot also has unique dashi, dashi seasonings, dipping sauces, and seasonings. The properties of the ingredients vary with the thickness of the dashi. , and sauces are cleverly combined to create hot pot dishes with a variety of flavors, which is what makes Japanese hot pot interesting.

Take dashi, the soul of hot pot, as an example. The Japanese believe that pure dashi is equivalent to providing a beautiful stage for hot pot cooking, so that the next taste performance can be perfected. Among all Japanese soups, the most commonly used is "Ichiban Dashi". The so-called "Ichiban dashi" is made from natural dried kelp and ground bonito flakes, which are boiled, filtered and precipitated for a long time. It combines the sweet taste of two high-grade dried products, with a clear color and fresh taste, and an elegant amber-like color. , with a rich marine flavor, refreshing and sweet, delicate and mellow, it is the easiest Japanese soup base to bring out the original flavor of the ingredients. Next is the kelp stock. Cut the kelp into about 10 centimeters and slightly process it. Add water and a certain proportion of mirin, cooking wine, etc. for seasoning. Simmer over low heat to get the flavor. The color is light green, but the strong flavor of kelp is revealed. Best paired with fresh seafood and used as seafood pot stock. In addition, gourmets say that after the kombu soup is slightly boiled on the table, it is best to take out the kombu immediately to retain the faint fragrance without taking away the umami flavor of the seafood. This is the secret to delicious Japanese seafood shabu-shabu.

Medicinal condiments

In addition to ingredients and soup stock, Japanese hotpots that are more particular about it will also serve "medicinal", which is Japanese hotpot condiments, to achieve the finishing touch of deliciousness. Japanese hot pot condiments, common condiments include raw radish puree, green onion slices, ginger puree, citrus mince, sesame, sansho pepper seeds, sansho pepper powder, tangerine seeds, fragrant wild vegetables, kelp nori, pickled plums, etc., usually in various restaurants The chef will make the most of the combination. For example, at the Japanese restaurant "Zui Xin", the chef has exclusively developed maple carrot puree and pomelo pepper paste. They are both instant choices for hot pot dishes. The ingredients are hot right after they are cooked. After being neutralized and packaged with seasonings, it is put into your mouth and the perfect taste is 100% present.

Basic recipe for Japanese hot pot

The main ingredients include beef slices, chicken slices, shrimp slices, fish slices, pork chops, pork loin slices and prawns, etc. The ingredients include vermicelli, fish Chinese cabbage, spinach, Beijing vegetables, Chinese cabbage and salad oil, etc. [Cooking process] First light the pan, and when the oil is hot, add the spinach and onions to the pan and stir-fry until cooked, then add the cabbage stems and stir-fry together. Add sugar and soy sauce, wait until everything is cooked, then add your favorite main ingredients into the pot and fry until cooked, fry while eating, half way through, add some fresh soup and cook, add seasonings and then Rinse the main ingredients in fresh soup and eat it