[Hot Pot with Chinese Cabbage and Meatballs]

Why do meat meatballs taste so good in a hot pot? The other day, I saw a Chinese dish called "砂鍋丸子" (meatballs stewed in an earthenware pot) on a social networking site, and I couldn't resist buying Chinese cabbage, ground pork, and vermicelli at the supermarket.

It is a simple pot with only three main ingredients: Chinese cabbage, meatballs, and bean-starch vermicelli. I added lots of finely chopped white onion and ginger to the meatballs and seasoned the soup lightly with salt and pepper. It is hard to put into words the joy I feel when I eat the big, round, hot meatballs with all my might. It sounds exaggerated, but they are really delicious, so please give them a try. We also recommend eating them with ponzu (Japanese citrus juice) or raayu (Chinese chili oil), if you like.

The Kiya's Sukiyaki Pot used for this pot is made by baking lacquer after going through the "kiln firing" process, in which the pot is fired at a high temperature of over 800 degrees Celsius after casting. The thick cast iron pot stores a lot of heat, so even when food is added, the temperature does not drop easily and the heat is spread throughout the pot. The popular #8 size is now back in stock, and we hope you will consider using it for sukiyaki as well as for nabe dishes on winter days.

Hot Pot with Chinese Cabbage and Meatballs

Ingredients (For 2 to 3 servings):
About 300 g ground pork (enough for 10 meatballs)
*1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
*2/3 tablespoons sesame oil
*1/2 tablespoon sake
*A pinch of salt
*A pinch of black pepper
*1 small egg
1/4 of white part of leek
1 large piece of ginger

Mung bean vermicelli, as needed
A little Chinese cabbage
A pinch of salt
A pinch of black pepper
A little water to taste

Instructions:
1. Put minced pork in a bowl, add * seasonings and egg, and knead well.
2. Finely chop white onion and ginger, and add them to the mixture.
3. Return vermicelli to its original state and use it. Soak vermicelli in water until ready to use.
4. Cut the thickest part of the Chinese cabbage into thin strips and cut into bite-size pieces.
5. When it is cooked to a certain degree, add the vermicelli and season the soup with salt and black pepper to thin it out.
6. Grasp the meatballs seeds with the left hand, push them out between the thumb and forefinger, and shape them into a round shape with a tablespoon and put them into the pot.
7. While removing scum, turn the meatballs over occasionally in the pot so that they are cooked all the way through. Finally, season the soup to taste.

Sukiyaki Pot #7
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kiya/sukiyaki.html
Sori Yanagi's Stainless Steel Bowl 19cm
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yanagisori/bowl.html

Reference Recipes
https://twitter.com/shutozennin/status/1726054168996266461
http://xhslink.com/VkxZMw