RECIPE: TORI TSUKUNE NABE 鶏つくね鍋

Hi everyone, Yingchi here. Starting from this article, we will be doing a series of donabe recipes with our Iga Single Serve Donabe. We we are kicking off with Tori Tsukune Nabe, or chicken meatball hot pot! This nabe is perfect for kids as well as it's mild and very tasty!

Ingredients 01/02: Tori Tsukune (Chicken Meatball)

1 lb of ground chicken
1 egg
small piece of ginger, finely grated
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of potato starch
1 leek: chopped finely, you can use scallion as well.
2 tsp of mirin
1 tbsp of miso (optional): I like to add a little bit of miso as it gives the meatball more depth in flavor.
4 cups of instant dashi

Ingredients 02/02: Nabe

Dashi and chicken meatball from above
Tofu
Enoki mushroom, fresh Shiitake mushroom
Leek or scallion: chopped
Daikon
Shungiku: Any leafy greens would work. We are using Shungiku, but Napa cabbage, bok choy are good choices too.

Steps: Making the Tsukune

To make meatballs, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix well until the ground chicken feels a little sticky. Set aside
Bring the instant dashi to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and keep at a simmer.
Squeeze the meat mixture through your thumb and index finger to shape a ball. You can also use 2 spoons to shape the meatballs. Drop the meatballs one by one into the dashi broth gently. Cook for 5 minutes. (You can save the extra meatballs in the freezer if you don't finish all of them.)
Place all the nabe ingredients in the donabe. Pour the dashi into the donabe. Close the lid.
Bring the nabe to the boil. Make sure all ingredients are fully cooked. Enjoy!

We love having nabe at home! It’s warm and comforting for cold days, but we enjoy eating it all year around. You can use many different ingredients and prepare exactly what you like to eat. Pair it with refreshing ponzu soy sauce and add plenty of vegetables and tofu to make this a healthy and hearty dish!

Products we used for this story:
Enamel Sauce Pan in White
Iga Single Serve Donabe in Brown