Delicious Mizutaki Chicken Wings Hot Pot--Authentic Hakata Recipe!
In Japan, once it starts getting chilly outside, you know it’s that time of year again when we get to enjoy some good old-fashioned nabe, or Japanese hot pot. Of all the hot pot variations out there, mizutaki is one that looks simple but is surprisingly difficult to get just right. The biggest challenge with this version, which is originally from the Hakata area in western Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture, is trying to authentically create that local Hakata flavor. Today our food coordinator Linasuke, who happens to be from Hakata herself, shares with us a simple, no-fuss home recipe for genuine Hakata-style mizutaki hot pot.
Delicious Mizutaki Chicken Wing Hot Pot—Authentic Hakata Recipe!
Hi, there! Cooking expert and food coordinator Lina “Linasuke” Kawase here!
It’s so chilly outside this time of year. And in Japan, that means it’s time for some serious hot pot cooking! Being born and bred in Hakata, an area of Fukuoka over in western Japan, that means mizutaki!! And that’s mizutaki with plenty of thick chicken broth, too!
In Fukuoka you can easily find chicken thighs on the bone, but here in Tokyo they don’t sell them...
But I want to eat some authentic Hakata-style mizutaki in my home here in Tokyo...
And so today I’m going to share with you my super-superb recipe for mizutaki complete with delicious (and cheap!) chicken wings. Hope you like it!
This is what you’ll need!
Ingredients
Chicken wings, 300g
Chicken thighs, 200g
Cabbage, 1/4 head
Shiitake, 4 whole mushrooms
Shimeji, 1/2 bunch
Tofu, 1/2 block
Scallion, 1/3 stalk
Salt, 1 tsp
Kombu, 20g
Meatballs[A]
...Chicken mince, 100g
...Ginger, 1/2 tsp
...Soy sauce, 1 tsp
...Saké, 1 tsp
Method
1. Pour 1.5L of water into a bowl, add the kombu and leave overnight.
Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Cut the cabbage into chunks. Cut off the hard part of the shiitake. Break apart the shimeji and cut the tofu in half. Chop up your scallions into 10cm slices. (Pound until [A] gets those sticky threads.)
2. Put a hotpot on the boil, add the chicken wings and cover, then boil on a low flame for 30 minutes. Now simmer while skimming off that icky scum! Put in the chicken thighs and cover again, leaving to boil for 30 minutes.
3. First, sample the soup! Pour the soup into a vessel, add salt and enjoy. It’s delicious with your decided amount of yuzukosho, too.
Again, with Hakata-style mizutaki, the first thing to do is drink the soup! It sure warms the belly during the cold winter months... Increases the umami, too, because of the stock from the chicken bones! Pour into a flask for added portability!
Okay! So next, we add the ponzu citrus sauce and dig into the chicken thighs and chicken wings!
The chicken wings fall apart with your chopsticks! Boil the chicken thighs too long though and it loses its juiciness, so just right should do it! The stock will come out of the chicken wings, too, which is an added bonus!
4. Arrange what you have so far into amounts that are easy to eat and place them into the hotpot, then add the vegetables, boil and eat.
5. At the end, I recommend making a congee with what’s left! The rice soaked up with all that chicken stock soup is out of this world!!!!
So, yeah. Please do check it out. True, bonified Hakata-style mizutaki! Brought to you by an East Japan native (yours truly). And by using chicken wings, it’s really cheap and easy to enjoy that authentic flavor...
By all means, please try out mizutaki this winter!
The flavor is so amazing I start talking in Hakata dialect just thinking about it! (Fellow Hakata natives will know what I mean...!!)
Author : Rinasuke
From Fukuoka prefecture, born on May 8th, 1988
Rinasuke organizes more than 100 culinary events every year. She also gathers and provides information about cuisine classes, workshops and community events. She specializes in beauty-related cuisine.
Blog(in Japanese): http://foodcreativefactory.com/ http://ameblo.jp/linakawase/
Twitter(in Japanese): https://twitter.com/fcf_staff
