Nabe

I am not sure whether to call Nabe a dish or an event. It is a mixture of both in my opinion. It's an autumn and winter dish, kind of like soup. Basically, you have this special single-stovetop that sits in the middle of the table and is ran by a propane tank (sorta like a campstove I guess), and that is where you cook the dish. There are many different broths you can use as a base, and then you just chop up a bunch of vegetables, and the meat you want to use and put them on top of the broth and cook it. Trying to explain it makes me feel like it's just a pot of soup, but there is something fun about getting a group of people together and making this 'soup' for everyone to enjoy. I guess when you throw a few beers into the mix, it become more entertaining. But, there are so many different kinds of Nabe you can make. There is also something called Shabu-Shabu, where you use the boiling broth to lightly cook thin strips of meat, shrimp prawns, or other seafood by dragging it with your chopsticks amongst the broth for a few seconds before eating it.

Many Japanese families have Nabe parties. I wanted to try it out myself, so we invited some friends over and had a little party. It ended up being more of a drinking party than a soup party, but I have a feeling that's how it's suppose to be :o)

This winter I have been especially drawn to the Nabe. I love it. It's healthy, it keeps you warm, and its fun to do together.

** PS... after looking through my pictures to post with this blog, I realized that I only have pictures after the nabe was finished and the drinking was well on its way... but I guess you get the idea. ha ha!