Kantō (Tokyo region) · 30 min · Fish · Main course · For confident cooks
Negima-Nabe
For 4 servings · US units
Tuna, thick Japanese leeks and tofu simmered in seasoned dashi
Negima-nabe is a winter hot pot from the Kantō region, where tuna and thick Japanese leeks (naga-negi) sit in seasoned dashi just long enough for the fish to stay juicy and the negi to turn sweet. The pot goes straight to the table and everyone eats from it a little at a time, topping it up with hot broth as it goes. It's an everyday dish that comes together in half an hour.
Ingredients
- 12⅓ ozBlock of loin, cut into cubes or slicesA large sea fish with firm, deep red to pink flesh, eaten raw, briefly seared or from the tin.Substitute: For raw dishes, salmon or yellowtail of raw-eating quality can stand in, both richer and milder; for cooked dishes swordfish works, though it turns drier.Read more
- 3cut into 3–5 cm lengthsA long, thick Welsh onion with a tall white shaft, mildly pungent and sweet once cooked.Substitute: For cooking, a young, slender leek works, though it is more fibrous and needs longer. Raw as a garnish, use the white and pale green parts of sturdy spring onions, which are a little sharper and less juicy.Read more
- 12⅓ ozcut into bite-sized pieces; grilled or silken tofuSoy milk curdled and pressed into blocks, mild in flavour and, depending on the type, silky soft to firm enough to slice.Substitute: The types can only partly stand in for each other: firm tofu in place of silken turns grainy in soups and cold dishes and loses its delicacy, while silken tofu falls apart when fried. There is no substitute outside tofu itself.Read more
- 2⅛ cupskombu or katsuo dashi as the broth baseJapan's basic stock, usually steeped from kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes: clear, lightly smoky, deeply savoury.Substitute: The closest stand-in is instant dashi in granules or sachets; it is usually saltier and a little flatter, so go easy on further seasoning. For a vegetarian version, soak kombu and dried shiitake in cold water. Chicken or vegetable stock is not a good substitute: it brings its own heavier flavour, and the dish no longer tastes Japanese.Read more
- 3 tbspsoy saucefor seasoning the broth
- 2 tbspfor the brothSweet Japanese rice wine for cooking that gives sauces and glazes a mild sweetness and shine.Substitute: Sake or dry sherry with some sugar, about one teaspoon per tablespoon, comes close; sweetness and shine are roughly right, but the rounded, slightly malty depth of mirin is missing.Read more
- 4 tbspfor the broth (optional)Japanese rice wine, used in cooking mainly to round out flavours, tame fishy notes and add umami.Substitute: Dry sherry or Chinese Shaoxing wine come closest but bring their own stronger flavour; mirin is not a substitute because it is distinctly sweet.Read more
- 1 tspsugarto round off the broth (optional)
- ½ tspsaltfor seasoning the broth (optional)
- 1soaked in cold water for the stock (optional)Caution: Kombu is very high in iodine, so it is best used mainly for making stock rather than eaten in large amounts, especially by people with thyroid conditions.Dried kelp, a brown seaweed sold in stiff, dark green sheets; the foundation of the Japanese stock dashi.Substitute: There is no true substitute. A pinch of MSG supplies the savouriness but not the taste of the sea or the depth; instant dashi granules come close in flavour but usually contain fish, which rules them out for vegetarian dishes.Read more
- 1 bunchcut into 3 cm lengths, added at the end (optional)Japanese wild parsley with three-part leaves and long, tender stems, fresh and slightly bitter, somewhere between parsley, celery and angelica.Substitute: Flat-leaf parsley with a little celery leaf comes closest in flavour, but tastes coarser and grassier; the cool, slightly resinous note and the tender stems are missing. There is no true equivalent, so use it sparingly so the parsley does not dominate.Read more
- 4stems removed (optional)Caution: Shiitake should be eaten thoroughly cooked, as raw or undercooked mushrooms can trigger an itchy, streak-like skin rash in some people.Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked before cooking, with a deep, smoky, savoury flavour and a firm, meaty texture.Substitute: Fresh shiitake match the texture but have far less depth and give no soaking liquid; dried porcini deliver a similar savoury intensity but taste earthier and not like shiitake.Read more
- 1¾ ozcarrotsliced 5 mm thick, optionally cut into flower shapes
- spring onionthinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Method
- Cut and chill the tunaCut the tuna into bite-sized cubes or slices and keep it cold until you start cooking.
- Prepare the leeksWash the Japanese leeks, trim off the root ends and cut the stalks into 3–5 cm lengths.
- Cut tofu and vegetablesCut the tofu into bite-sized pieces. If you like, remove the stems from the dried shiitake, slice the carrot 5 mm thick, and cut the mitsuba into 3 cm lengths.
- Prepare the dashiFor the broth, soak the kombu in cold water, lift it out before the broth comes to a boil, and use the soaking water as the dashi – or simply have your dashi ready.
- Bring the broth to a boilBring the dashi to a boil in a pot with the soy sauce and mirin, plus sake, sugar and salt if you're using them.
- Add ingredients to the potLay the leeks in the boiling broth first, then add the tuna, tofu and any other vegetables. If you'd rather arrange everything neatly in a second pot, such as a shallow nabe, set the ingredients out in it and pour the hot broth over them.
- Simmer briefly and skimCook briefly over medium heat, until the fish is just done on the outside, skimming off the foam as it rises.
- Serve at the tableSet the pot on the table and eat from it gradually. Top up with more hot broth as it cooks down, then add the mitsuba at the end and scatter sliced spring onion over the top.
Tips and variations
Instead of katsuo dashi, you can build the broth from kombu soaking water seasoned with sake, mirin, soy sauce, salt and sugar. A quicker version swaps the dashi for ready-made nabe stock cubes made with chicken broth and soy sauce. Made with Shimonita negi, a thick leek variety from Gunma, the dish uses the green parts of the leek as well as the white. Cutting the tuna into 2 cm cubes instead of thin slices gives you chunkier pieces. A pared-back version leaves out the tofu and simmers just the tuna and leek in the seasoned dashi for 5–6 minutes, served in individual bowls. A shallow pot is nice here: stand the leek pieces upright in it and ladle in hot broth portion by portion.
Allergens
Contains: Fish, Cereals containing gluten, Soybeans
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
