Rainy Day Coconut Chigae Nabe
Spicy Korean hotpot base mellowed with coconut milk, loaded with kabocha, sweet potato, mushrooms, chicken and spinach.
Ingredients
- 100 milliliters chigae nabe no moto (bottle base)
- 500 milliliters water
- 200 milliliters coconut milk
- 1 chicken breast, sliced thin on the bias
- 1 tablespoons sake (or water) for the chicken
- 1 teaspoons potato starch / katakuriko
- 200 grams kabocha, 1.5cm wedges
- 150 grams sweet potato, 1cm rounds
- 100 grams oyster mushrooms, torn
- 30 grams wood ear, rehydrated if dried
- 100 grams spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic clove, sliced (optional)
- 0.3 teaspoons salt, to adjust at the end
Steps
1. Velvet the chicken. Toss 1 chicken breast, sliced thin on the bias with 1 tablespoons sake (or water) for the chicken and 1 teaspoons potato starch / katakuriko and set aside. This keeps breast meat silky instead of chalky in the broth.
2. Start the broth. In the donabe, combine 100 milliliters chigae nabe no moto (bottle base), 500 milliliters water and 2 garlic clove, sliced (optional). Bring to a boil. Taste — it should be noticeably too strong on its own, since coconut milk is coming.
3. Root veg first. Add 200 grams kabocha, 1.5cm wedges and 150 grams sweet potato, 1cm rounds. Cover and simmer until a chopstick slides in with only slight resistance.
4. Mushrooms and chicken. Add 100 grams oyster mushrooms, torn, 30 grams wood ear, rehydrated if dried and the chicken slices, spreading them out so they don't clump. Simmer gently until the chicken is just opaque.
5. Coconut milk in. Lower the heat and stir in 200 milliliters coconut milk. Keep it at a bare simmer from here — a hard boil can make it split or go grainy.
6. Spinach and finish. Add 100 grams spinach, roughly chopped, push it under, cover for a minute until wilted. Taste and adjust with 0.3 teaspoons salt, to adjust at the end. Eat straight from the pot.
Notes
The 100ml base : 500ml water ratio is a starting guess — check the dilution printed on the back of the bottle and go slightly stronger than it says, since the coconut milk will dilute it further. If you have fish sauce or a lime, a splash at the end pushes it in a tom kha direction and it's fantastic. Leftover broth + rice or udon the next day is mandatory.