Seafood is a surprisingly affordable product in grocery stores, and there’s a great variety available to us here. Not all attempts at cooking have been what I’d call a success, but it’s a fun experience nonetheless. We’ve learned to cook seafood with a hot pot or nabe, as it is called here.
During our first week in a rural apartment in Usa city, we received a housewarming gift from our friends in Yokohama. We recommend making rice in it, as it’s apparently more delicious than a rice cooker. Our first try cooking with the nabe includes rice, octopus, and vegetables.
Before use, we must “prime” the pot by leaving rice water overnight. The starch fills in the pot’s pores, making it ready to use by the morning. We prepared a brown rice dish with steamed vegetables and octopus the next evening.
Another night, we have plain rice, salad, tofu and crab. A salad green we’ve been enjoying is mizuna leafy greens, a slight mustard flavoured green.
Another night, we skip the rice and opt for cold noodles with shrimp and sea snails.
At the grocery store, I was taken by their pearl iridescent interior.
Looks like you guys are having fun! I always think octopus is chewy, so that would be my biggest worry in preparation.
You definitely have to put it right at the end. I think we overcooked it a bit since it was in the pot the whole time, so we’ll have to figure out another way to do it next time.