Yukinabe is a hot pot that is easy on your stomach, and you will never get tired of it. This dish is called Yuki-nabe or Mizore-nabe because the grated daikon looks like snow or sleet, which is what yuki or mizore mean. So refreshing!
First, grate the daikon radish. Using a regular grater will give it a fine texture and create a relatively large amount of juice.
This is called Onioroshi, which can coarsely grate the daikon.When the Onioroshi is used, it'll have less juice.
Now, let's make the Yuki-nabe. First, place the dried kombu seaweed into a heavy ceramic or earthenware pot.
Add the grated daikon radish. We used both the Onioroshi and regular grater to give the daikon a palatable texture and also add extra juice, but you can use either of the tools.
Next, place the soft silken tofu onto the daikon. Divide the tofu into 4 to 5 pieces but be sure not to break them.
Arrange the thinly sliced pork belly onto the tofu but avoid overlapping. You can also use pork loin slices instead of the pork belly.
Pour the sake over the ingredients. If you can't use any alcohol, just leave out the sake.
Heat the pot on medium heat and cover. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for a while.
Now, remove the lid. If the pork slices are overlapping, be sure to separate them. When all of the redness in the meat has disappeared, it is ready.
Ladle the pork belly and tofu into a bowl along with the grated daikon radish.
Sprinkle on a generous amount of spring onion leaves. Finally, pour on the ponzu sauce, citrus-based soy sauce and enjoy the delicious Yuki-nabe.
Recipe Notes
In this recipe, we used the daikon without removing the skin and simmered the ingredients in the daikon juice without adding any water.
Daikon radishes contain enzymes that help your digestive system so this dish is very easy on your stomach.