Good Luck Chanko

1. Bone the chicken; cut meat into 1.1/2 - to 2-inch chunks; save the bones for soup stock.

2.Slice negi (or leeks) and all but one of the carrots into bit-sized pieces

3.Fill a large stew pot with water and place over medium-low heat

4. Add the bones with the negi and sliced carrots and simmer, uncovered, about 3 hours to make soup stock.

5. Slice the daikon and potato and parboil in a separate pot, reserve it.

6. Cut the onion and shiitake into quarters, chop the cabbage into small pieces, cut the cakes of tofu and remaining carrot into bit-sized chunks.

7. Add all sliced ingredients and soy sauce to the stock pot and simmer until the fresh vegetables are cooked.

8. Then add the parboiled vegetables.

9. Season to taste with mirin or its equivalent and salt

10. Simmer a few minutes more; serve hot.

11. After finishing the Chanko, reheat the soup with udon noodles and serve in deep soup bowls

White Fish Chanko Nabe

Note: This recipe is for feeding 30 rikishi! Please change the amount of ingredients to your needs.

1. 2 pots containing 4 liters (1 gallon) of boiling water each
20 kilos

2. (44 pounds) of fresh nonflaky white fish, cleaned and scaled; leave
bones and head intact and cut into 3-centimeter (1-inch) chunks

3. 10 cakes of fresh tofu (bean curd)

4. 2 or 3 large heads of hakusai (Chinese cabbage)

5. 3 large negi (a mild type of leek)

6. 5 large bunches of fresh spinach, about 250 grams (8 ounces) each

7. 4 kilos (9 pounds) of fresh, drained bean sprouts (moyashi)

8. Ponzu Sauce:
-can be purchased ready-made

9. 2 liters (2 quarts) of dashi (stock that can be made from instant powder now
available around the world at specialty stores)

10. 25 to 30 cc (1/4 cup) of rice vinegar (not regular Western-style vinegar, as
it is too strong in flavor)

11. 2 or 3 tablespoons of Japanese soy sauce

Portions can be adjusted to taste, but it should not be too strong.

Remember that you don't cook all the above at once, Chanko-nabe
tastes better as it cooks and fresh ingredients are added as the cooked ones
are eaten.

* Start by adding the fish tails, fins and other inedible parts of the
fish. Boil slowly for 15 to 20 minutes and remove fish parts and skim off
the foam. The balance of the cooking is normally done at the table, but it
can be done in the kitchen and served with a hot plate under the pot at the
table. The guests must dip into the pot with a ladle and serve themselves.
First add about 1/3 of the remaining fish and let simmer for 10 minutes
before adding the vegetables, which have all been cut into bit-size pieces,
except for the spinach, which is left in its original form and put in as it
is needed, since it cooks so quickly.
At each place, set a deep soup bowl with about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the
ponzu in it. Each person serves himself from the cooking pot, dipping his
serving into the ponzu before eating it. Serve with 13 kilos (29 pounds,
measured before cooking) of plain boiled rice in separate, individual bowls,
and Japanese pickles.
This is a healthy and very enjoyable meal. If you are watching your
weight, forgo the rice! Beer or sake go well with this chanko nabe, and a
dry white wine can also be enjoyed with it.

Buta Miso Chanko Nabe

1. Instant dashi, enough for 4 liters
2. 3 packages miso (fermented bean paste; a combination of light and dark miso
is preferred)
Soy sauce and sake to taste.
3. 10 kilos (22 pounds) of thinly sliced fresh pork (the shoulder cut with some
fat is best)
4. 1 large daikon (large white radish that is mild in flavor)
5. 4 large carrots
6. 10 peeled onions
7. 2 large heads of cabbage
8. 5 packs of konnyaku (a gelatinous substance made from a wild mountain
vegetable. If not available, it won't be missed)
9. 30 shiitake (fresh brown Japanese mushrooms - dried can be used, but first
they should be soaked overnight and drained)
10. 10 aburaage (fried tofu cakes, frequently available in frozen form outside
Japan)

* Take 2 large nabe and put 2 liters (2 quarts) of dashi (see preceding
recipe) in each. Mix in the equivalent of three packages of miso (bean
paste) using a combination of the light (slightly sweet) and dark miso. Add
a small amount of soy sauce and sake to taste. Bring to a simmer.
First add the vegetables that take a long time to cook (all cut in bite-
size-pieces) such as the carrots, daikon, onions, and part of the cabbage.
Then add the shiitake and part of the meat. Keep adding as the ingredients
are eaten.
Serve, as in the above recipe, with 13 kilos (29 pounds) of plain boiled
rice, Japanese pickles, and thin omelets filled with chopped meat or
vegetables. This is truly delicious and perhaps a taste you have never had
before. Enjoy this with beer, sake, or a dry white wine.