Mizutaki is a Japanese Chicken Hot Pot in which chicken, assorted vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu are cooked in a light kombu dashi broth. Dip the freshly cooked ingredients in the savory and citrusy ponzu sauce. It's one of the best wintery foods to enjoy!

Mizutaki (Chicken Hot Pot)

INGREDIENTS

• 8 napa cabbage (1.5 lb, 680 g, roughly ¼ napa cabbage)
• 1 Negi (long green onion)
• ⅔ carrot (3.5 oz, 100 g)
• 6 stalks Mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (3 oz, 85g; or other leafy greens)
• 1 medium-firm tofu (14 oz, 397 g)
• 1 package maitake mushrooms (3.5 oz, 100 g; or other mushrooms)
• 1 package shimeji mushrooms (3.5 oz, 100 g; or other mushrooms)
• 3 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (1.3 lb or 600 g; If you don’t have a butcher knife at home, ask the butcher to cut into smaller pieces)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 lb, 454 g)

Soup Stock

• 5 cups water (1200 ml)
• 1 kombu (dried kelp) (0.2 oz, 5 g, 3 x 3 inches)
• 2 Tbsp sake (I used Sho Chiku Bai Classic Junmai)
• 2 slices ginger

Dipping Sauce

• ponzu
• green onions/scallions (chopped)
• yuzu kosho
• Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese seven spice)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.
   

To Make Kombu Dashi

1. In a large donabe (earthenware pot, or any large, shallow pot), add 5 cups water and kombu to make cold brew kombu dashi. Set aside while you prep the chicken.

To Prepare the Chicken

1. Use a butcher knife, cut the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs into 2-inch bite sizes. You can ask the butcher to cut into smaller pieces as well.
2. Cut the boneless skinless chicken thighs into smaller bite size pieces (roughly 2” x 2”).
3. Fill a medium pot with water and add the bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh pieces. Turn the heat on medium-low.
4. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 1 minute and discard the water. Rinse the chicken, especially around the bone area, under lukewarm water. Don’t use cold water as the fat will solidify. Once the chicken is rinsed, put them on a plate.

To Cook the Chicken

1. In the cold brew kombu dashi, add the chicken thigh pieces you just rinsed.

2. Also add the boneless, skinless chicken thigh pieces, 2 Tbsp sake, and 2 slices ginger.

3. Bring it to a boil over medium heat.

4. Once boiling, skim the scum and foam that rise to the surface of the broth. Discard the kombu.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook covered for 20-30 minutes. During this time, start preparing other ingredients (vegetables, etc). After 30 minutes, remove and discard the ginger slices. Keep the pot covered. If you’re preparing ahead of time, you can keep it for 1-2 hours at room temperature until you’re ready to serve.

To Prepare Hot Pot Ingredients (While Cooking the Chicken)

1. Cut the napa cabbage into smaller bites and place them on a large platter.
2. Cut the long green onion (negi) diagonally into ½-inch thickness.
3. Peel and discard the outer skin of the carrot. Then thinly peel the carrot into thin strips.
4. Cut the mizuna into 2-inch pieces and cut the tofu into 9 pieces.
5. Discard the bottom of the maitake mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms.
6. Place all the chopped ingredients on a big platter or several plates. When the hot pot broth is ready, you can bring them to the table and have everyone cook together.

To Cook Mizutaki (at the table)

1. From the platter of ingredients, you can add tough/dense ingredients first. Add the napa cabbage, mostly the tough white parts. Then add tofu, mushrooms, and long green onion.
2. Add the carrot strips in the middle and cover to cook for 10 minutes.
3. Open the lid and add leafy vegetables which will cook for a few minutes until tender and fully cooked.
4. Add a little ponzu sauce in a small bowl, and if you like, add green onion, yuzu kosho, and shichimi togarashi. Dip the cooked ingredients in the ponzu before eating. As you eat the cooked ingredients, continue to add the raw ingredients to the pot and simmer them until fully cooked. Enjoy!

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