Hi, I’m Francis, the host of this show "Cooking with Dog."
We're also making Shio Butter Ramen
so be sure to watch until the end.
Today, we are making a hot pot dish called Chankonabe, which Sumo wrestlers enjoy almost every day.
Let's prepare the aburaage, thin deep-fried tofu.
Remove the excess oil with a paper towel.
Lightly warming the aburaage in a microwave
beforehand will help remove the oil.
Cut the aburaage into bite-size pieces.
Remove the firm stalk from the cabbage leaves.
Slice the stalk thinly
so that you can use it in stir-fried dishes later.
Roughly cut the leaves into smaller pieces.
Cut the garlic chives into 5cm (2") pieces
and separate the leaf part and stalk part,
and slice the long green onion diagonally (1cm/0.4").
Halve the dried red chili pepper, and remove the seeds.
Let's prepare the chicken meatballs.
Place the ground chicken in a bowl, and add the salt,
pepper,
sake
and grated ginger root.
Squish the meat with your hand to mix thoroughly.
Then, add the chopped long green onion
and potato starch.
Loosely spread your fingers forming a rake shape,
and mix the meat mixture until it turns gooey.
Now, let's make the Chankonabe using an earthen pot.
Combine the chicken stock, sake,
salt,
sugar
and grated garlic clove.
Lightly stir the broth.
Add the dried red chili pepper,
and turn the heat to medium.
When it begins to boil, cook the chicken meatballs
also known as Tori Dango.
Shape the ground chicken into a bite-size ball with a spoon,
and drop the tori dango into the broth.
Dampening the spoon will help keep the meat from sticking.
Repeat the process and place all the meatballs into the pot.
At first, the meatballs will sink to the bottom,
but they should begin to float to the surface when cooked.
Remove the foam,
but the grated garlic is also on the surface
so be sure not to remove it.
Add the aburaage, thin deep-fried tofu,
cabbage leaves,
long green onion,
the stalk part of the garlic chives,
and the extra-thin pork slices.
We are using the pork slices for shabu-shabu,
a Japanese hot pot dish.
When all the redness in the pork has disappeared,
add the leaf part of the garlic chives.
Sprinkle on the ground white sesame seeds.
Finally, drizzle on the sesame oil.
Chankonabe is an essential diet for sumo wrestlers
to gain their weight but it is also a healthy, balanced meal
that allows you to enjoy a variety of ingredients,
meat, fish, tofu, vegetables and mushrooms.
When the broth is reduced,
add chicken stock and adjust the taste with salt.
This dish is very rich in the savory umami taste, and you will not be able to stop eating it!
And now, let’s make the delicious Shio Butter Ramen
with the remaining broth, and enjoy it to the last drop.
Cook the ramen for a little less time,
and coat the noodles with a small amount of sesame oil
to keep them from sticking.
Immerse the ramen in the remaining broth.
When the noodles warm up, place them into a bowl.
Ladle the soup over the ramen.
Garnish with the toasted nori seaweed
and chopped spring onion leaves.
Finally, top with a slice of butter.
Shio means salt in Japanese,
and the salt-flavored ramen goes excellent with butter.
You can also sprinkle on pepper to taste,
adding a bit of kick to the dish.
Good luck in the kitchen!