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Umami Hot Pot Soup
							
"Umami Hot Pot Soup
Serves 1-2, adjust according to preference 

Having a cold and rainy day? No problem. Prepare this meaty, hearty, umami one pot soup. Let's warm dad's heart on this wet and chilly rainy season.

Ingredients: 
SAUCE
x2 tablespoons sake
x¼ cup mirin
x1 tbsp brown sugar
x ¼ cup soy sauce

HOT POT INGREDIENTS
x½ block firm tofu (sliced into half inch thick slices)
x5 dried shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated)
x1 handful enoki mushrooms (ends trimmed and rinsed)
x2 cups green cabbage (cut into 2-inch pieces)
x2 cups tong ho (chrysanthemum greens, washed)
x2 green onions (white and green parts separated)
x1 pack vermicelli noodles (or shirataki noodles)
x1 tablespoon cooking oil
x12 oz. Sukiyaki beef (already sliced)
x2 cups dashi stock (or any kind of soup stock or cubes)
x2 egg yolks (pasteurized, optional)
x2 cups rice to serve with

Preparation:
1. Add sake, mirin, brown sugar, and soy sauce to a pan. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, make sure all the sugar is dissolved, and transfer to a bowl.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pan. Fry the white parts of the scallions in the oil for 2 minutes. Chop the green parts of the scallions finely and set them aside.
3. Prepare all your sukiyaki ingredients––the tofu slices, rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage, tong ho, and scallions. Set aside on a plate. 
4. Soak the dried vermicelli noodles in water for 10 minutes.
5. In the pan with the scallions, add the sliced beef. Sear the beef for 10 seconds, and add a drizzle ofthe sauce. 
6. Fry the meat until it just begins to brown––it should still be a bit pink. Remove from the pot and set aside.
7. Add the rest of your sukiyaki sauce and 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil, and add the tofu, mushrooms, napa cabbage, and tong ho and drained noodles to the pot in sections. 
8. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the ingredients are cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
9. Remove the cover, add the beef back to the pot. Sprinkle with the chopped scallions, and enjoy with rice and egg yolk.

GREEN TIP:
Regrow your scallions, spring onions and onion leeks from scratch with these easy steps:
1. Slice off the ends of the bulbs, leaving roots attached.
2. Stand the bulbs root-end down in a small jar or pot. 
3. Add enough water to cover the roots, but leave the top edges above water.
4. Set on a windowsill and keep the roots moist. After a few days, green shoots will emerge from the tops of the bulbs. After that, they'll grow very quickly.
5. Keep the roots submerged and change water at least once a week.
6. When the shoots are or four or five inches long, you can plant them in the ground or a pot filled with good quality potting soil. Repotting is important because if you just keep the root ends in the jar, they will produce green shoots for a while but the plant will weaken and eventually die."