[All You Need Is One Clay Pot]

What should I make for dinner tonight? Don't you sometimes open the fridge and find yourself staring at leftover bits of vegetables, half a block of tofu, and scraps of green onion? When that happens, just pull out your favorite clay pot, and your meal planning worries will vanish instantly.

This photo shows a hot pot I made one such evening. The true depth of a clay pot's versatility shines when you “mobilize” everything in your fridge. Just roughly chop whatever vegetables you have on hand, arrange them in the pot, and heat it up. Since I didn't have ground meat, I finely chopped some pork, mixed it with minced ginger, garlic, and green onion, seasoned it with salt and black pepper, then coated it with potato starch and rolled it into simple meatballs. For extra volume, adding glass noodles instantly makes it more satisfying. Ponzu sauce is all you need for the dipping sauce. Add chili peppers if you like.

The high heat retention of the earthenware pot slowly imparts warmth, drawing surprisingly rich sweetness from everyday ingredients. When you hear the gentle bubbling and see steam rising, it signals a splendid feast. Even though it's just “simmering,” having one earthenware pot warms you right down to your heart. Such an unpretentious winter table might just be the ultimate luxury.

Matsuyama Tokojo's Dobai Hanten Donabe L
https://www.shokunin.com/en/matsuyama/donabe.html