Kimchi Nabe (Hot-Pot)

Kimchi Nabe (pronounced something like a short "nah-bay") is one of our long-time Nabe Party favorites,
along with Sukiyaki and Shabu-shabu. We always cook it on a portable gas hob on the low table where
everyone can sit around and reach it easily, adding more of each ingredient as the pot empties. Nabe
parties are the best for conversation and slow, social eating - and they're always full of vegetables, which
makes them healthy (and cheap)!

I don't know enough about cooking to say exactly why, but Kimchi nabe tastes amazing, every time.
(Is that the effect of the Kimchi Umami?)

And don't worry if you can't handle very spicy food - last time I just used less kimchi, and our 2-year-old had
no problem!

Kimchi nabe is extremely easy to make, and just about impossible to get it wrong. Most of the time I don't
even measure the ingredients.

Kimchi Nabe Recipe (serves 4, just add more veggies and pork to serve up to 6)
100g ~ 400g Kimchi, depending on how hot or mild you like it
300g pork (thinly sliced)
Chinese cabbage
Chives
Enoki Mushrooms (I used Shimeji this time, they're great too!)
Tofu
+/-Moyashi bean sprouts
+/-A bundle of Harusame (Bean thread vermicelli, often used in Vietnamese cooking) soaked in hot water
and drained

1~2 tsp garlic
1~2 tsp ginger
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp miso paste
1 Tbsp ground sesame seeds
2 tsp chicken stock powder
2~3 cups boiling water

1. Season the pork: Using a spoon, scrape out some chilli etc from the kimchi (usually I find some at the top
or bottom of the jar) and put it on the pork. Pour the juices from the jar of kimchee onto the pork. Add
garlic, ginger and 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil to the pork. Massage it all in with your fingers. Leave the pork to
marinate while you prepare the other vegetables and ingredients.


(Now, greet your guests as they've just arrived, and have them sit around the table.)

2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil in the nabe (a wok or a frypan is great). Brown the pork, then add sake,
ground sesame seeds, kimchi, water, miso paste (dissolve it in) and stock powder. Bring to the boil again,
then add some of each of the vegetables and tofu, except for chives. Simmer for a few minutes, then add
chives.
3. Make sure that everyone has a bowl of hot steamed rice, a torizara bowl and chopsticks, and then
everyone digs in!
4. When the nabe is at least half empty, push the remaining cooked ingredients to one side, then into the
open space, place some more of each ingredient.

(Torizara means a small plate or bowl for eating a shared meal. For nabe, the torizara is always a bowl, of
course)

The soup is so delicious that you had better have a spoon or ladle ready so that everyone can take some soup
together when transferring things to their own bowl.

If you have more than 6 people eating, you might consider making two separate nabe, so everyone can reach
it easily.
...
Sadly, we had to leave our do-nabe (clay pot) in Australia, so I was too embarrassed to include the frypan in
the photos. ()
...
If you don't have chives, you can substitute shallots.
...
I guess you could say that Kimchi Nabe is the Japanese adaptation of Korean Kimchi Chige?


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Why not make your dinner a little more fun? Shabu Shabu is a great food to make the dinner more interactive.
It's also very nutritious. You can enjoy meat, lots of vegetables, noodles and rice in one go. No need to fight for what to put in the dish as
everyone can eat whatever he or she wishes. The recipe is great for vegetarians who eat fish as the broth is fish based and you can just take
out meat from side dishes.
This shabu-shabu table cooking recipe is for a 3 course meal.
Course 1: enjoy meat and vegetables
Course 2: noodle soup
Course 3: fried rice
But, you can pick and choose a course you want if this is too much.
Read about shabushabu experience here.
tags:
1
.02
(mild), main dish/entre, healthy, nut free, beef/pork, noodles, boil
read more
shar e
ingredients



change serving size to: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
change to: metric us
quantity ingredient
1 Green Onion
3 piece(s) Kelp (dried, 5 cm x 5
cm)
23 Anchovy (dried)
6 Red Chili Pepper (dried)

13 cups Water
3 tbs Rice Wine
1 tbs Red Chili Pepper Flakes

1 tbs Red Chili Paste
2 tbs Soy Sauce (used in
soup, saltier)
(Gook-Gan-Jang)
1 tbs Garlic (minced)
tsp Black Pepper
7 oz Sliced Beef Sirloin

9 oz Kal-guk-soo, Korean
Style Handmade Noodles

cup Soy Sauce (regular)
()/
cup Vinegar
2 tbs Water
quantity ingredient
tsp Wasabi
7 oz Assorted Vegetables

tips
Optional Ingredients and Substitutions
- You do not have to make the handmade noodles from scratch. You can get the Korean style handmade noodles (Kal-Guk-Soo) from
Korean markets. You can use other types of noodles if you like but Kal-Guk-Soo is the best for this dish.
- Dried Kelp and dried Red Chilli Pepper for the basic broth can be omitted (although they do add nice flavors.)
- Rice mix (cooked rice, seaweed, kimchi, egg, sesame oil) can be omitted. (no course 3)
- Soy sauce (used in soup) / Gook-Gan-Jang can be replaced by regular soy sauce. (not as good but still works)
- Rice Wine can be replaced by white wine or other clear spirit like vodka.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much broth do I need to make?
The basic amount of this recipe is for 2 people plus extra broth to keep adding to the boiling mix. But, the amount may vary depending on
how much meat and vegetables you want to eat and how fast you eat. If you have big eaters, you will need much more broth. For how ever
many people you make this, just remember the broth will boil down as you cook. Consider some extra amount you may need. Also,
remember the seasoning amount should increase as the broth amount increases.
What other ingredients can I use?
You can also add fishcakes, dumplings or any other meat as long as it's thinly sliced.
You can use any vegetables you like as long as it doesn't require a long time to cook or has a strong tastes that will alther the flavor of the
soup. You can things like potatoes if you add them in the beginning and let it cook for a while. However, do not put too much starchy
vegetables or noodles as they will start thicken your soup too much.
What if I don't have a portable stove? Can I still enjoy this dish?
It wouldn't be the same experience. But, you can use the recipe to make a nice noodle soup. Just make the same broth. Then, add
vegetables and noodles and boil on high heat until noodles are cooked. Add slices of beef in the very last minute so it's not over cooked.
Serve it in a large bowl with some dipping sauce on the side.
Do I have to do all 3 courses?
No, you don't have to do course 2 (noodles) or course 3 (fried rice). You can just enjoy meat and vegetables with a bowl of rice on the side.
More questions? Please leave your questions below in the comment section. We will do our best to answer as soon as we can.
Instructions
photos
summary
1. Broth
Put 13 cups of water, 3 pieces of
kelp (5cm x 5cm), 23 pieces of
anchovies, 1 green onion, 6
pieces of dried red chili pepper
and 3 tablespoons of rice wine
in a pot. Boil it for 10 min on
high heat. When the broth starts
to boil, simmer it for 20 min on

1
Boil 10 min
High Heat
13 cups
water
3 kelp (5cm
x 5cm)
23 anchovies
Instructions
photos
summary
low heat.
1 green
onion
6 dried chili
peppers
3 tbs rice
wine
Simmer
Low Heat 20 min
2. Seasoning Broth
Mix 1.5 tablespoons of red chili
pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of
red chili paste, 2 tablespoons of
Korean soy sauce (used in
soup), 1 tablespoons of minced
garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of black
pepper in a bowl. Add the
seasoning mix in the broth and
dissolve it well. Simmer it for
10 min on medium heat. If you
like spicy food, add more red
chilli pepper flakes. If you cant
take spiciness, decrease the
amount of chili flakes.

2
Mix
1 tbs red
chili pepper flakes
1 tbs red
chili paste
2 tbs Korean
soy sauce (used in
soup)
1 tbs minced
garlic
1/2 tsp black
pepper
Dissolve it into the
broth
Simmer
Med Heat 10 min
3. Filter Broth
Filter the broth through a
strainer.

3
Filter broth
Instructions
photos
summary
4. Vegetables
Prepare mushrooms and
vegetables of your choice (such
as bok choy, cabbage, onion,
Chinese broccoli, water
dropwort and etc). Cut off roots
if any. Wash thoroughly under
running water and drain.

4
Prepare mushrooms
and vegetables
Wash
Drain
5. Noodles
You can buy pre-made noodles
(Kal-Gul-Soo) from Korean
grocery market or make it from
scratch. To learn how to make
noodles, click here. Pre-cook
the noodles for a 3 min in a
boiling water. (OPTIONAL)
Then, wash in cold water and
drain. This will prevent your
broth from being too thick.

5
Prepare noodles
Pre-cook noodles
(optional)
6. Rice mix
(OPTIONAL) Prepare friend
rice mix. On a bowl or plate,
place 1 cup of cooked rice. Add
1/2 cup of chopped kimchi, 1
tbs sesame oil and 2 tbs of
seaweed bits on top. Add a
cracked raw egg on top. (This
mix will be added and cooked at
the very end of the meal. See
tips for details.

6
On a plate, place
1 cup cooked
rice
1/2 cup
chopped kimchi
1tbs sesame
oil
2 tbs
seaweed bits
1 egg
(cracked)
Instructions
photos
summary
7. Dipping Sauce
Mix 4 tablespoons of soy sauce,
4 tablespoons of vinegar, 21/2
tablespoons of water and 1/4 tsp
of wasabi. If you have people
who cannot take wasabi, serve it
on the side. But, I recommend
using wasabi as it really will
add a nice flavor to the dipping
sauce.

7
Mix
1/4 cup soy
sauce
1/4 cup
vinegar
21/2 tbs
water
1/4 tsp
wasabi
8. Table Setting
Pour the broth in a hot pot (or
sauteuse pan) and place it on the
portable stove. You dont have
to start with all the broth you
made. You can start with some
then add more as the liquid
evaporates while eating. Prepare
the thinly sliced beef sirloin (the
thiner the better), You can roll
the beef for nice presentation.
Korean style handmade noodles,
rice mix(optional) assorted
vegetables, dipping sauce and
empty serving plates on the
side.

8
Prepare
Broth in a
Hot Pot
Portable
Stove
Thinly
Sliced Beef Sirloin
Korean Style
Handmade Noodles
Assorted
Vegetables
Dipping
Sauce
Serving
plates
Instructions
photos
summary
9. Table Cooking Course 1
Warm the broth on high heat.
When it starts to boil, put some
vegetables in the broth. Let each
person dip a piece of beef in the
broth to cook individually. Dip
in the dipping sauce and eat
with vegetables. Keep adding
more broth as the broth gets
boiled down and becomes thick.
You can change the heat level
as needed. (e.g., If its boiling
too fast, turn it down. If theres
too much stuff and the soup is
not boiling, turn it up.

9
Boil broth High
Heat
When boiling, put
vegetables
Individually cook
beef
Dip in the sauce
(Keep adding the
broth)
10. Table Cooking Course 2
After finishing beef, add the
Korean style handmade noodles
(Kal-Guk-Soo) into the broth
and boil on high heat for 5-10
min. Turn off the heat once the
noodles are cooked.

10
Add the handmade
noodles
Cook
10 min
High
Heat
11. Table Cooking Course 3
(OPTIONAL)
Remove all remaining noodles
from the soup. Leave a very
small amount of broth at the
bottom. Add the rice mix in and
stir-fry on high heat for 3 min.
Pat the rice so its levelled and
turn down the heat to low and
leave it for 5-10 to form a crispy
crust at the bottom. Turn off the
heat and enjoy your fried rice!

11
Remove remaining
noodles
Leave a little bit of
soup
Add rice mix
Stir fry High
Heat 3 min
Level the rice and
turn down heat
Low Heat 5 min
Enjoy!
more about dish
Shabu-shabus origin goes back to the time of the Mongolian Emperor, Genghis Khan (13th century) although some korean historians
believe it was originated in Korea during the three kingdom era (1st century) and went to Mongol. The legend is that during the Genghis
Khans conquest, Mongol warriors boiled water in their metal helmets and stirred in slices of raw lamb meat and vegetables. As the Mongol
empire extended all over asia and even Europe, some believe this mongolian hot pot inspired 'fondue' in Switzerland. Since then, the
Japanese modernized and popularized this dish and called it shabu-shabu. The word shabu refers to the sound of water being stirred.
Today, Shabushabu is widely in enjoyed in many Asian countries and each country has its own variations. Korean shabu-shabu recipes tend
to have a spicy kick to it. Also, Korean enjoy 3 course shabu-shabu meals - meat & vegetables, noodles and fried rice.