Shredded Cabbage Hot Pot Made with Just Cabbage and Pork: Why Ryuji Insists on Hand-Cutting, Adding the Pork Last, and Finishing with Malony

At the start, Ryuji explains that the Kaori no Kura packaging has changed and the product name is now easier to understand than before. It has apparently been selling well lately, and Ryuji laughingly says it's because they used it with fried eggplant. A recipe where fried eggplant is marinated in Kaori no Kura was well received, and sales seem to have gone up as a result. Saying "since people bought it, I'll take care of it," Ryuji uses their favorite, Kaori no Kura, once again. They add that products used in sponsored videos sometimes appear in non-sponsored videos as well.

Since it's the season when many people probably want hot pot, this time Ryuji makes a shredded cabbage hot pot. According to Ryuji, it's very easy and can be enjoyed all the way through to the finishing course.

About half a head of cabbage is used. A dense cabbage comes to roughly 600–700 g, and using plenty makes it tastier. For the pork, just prepare as much as you can eat; this time it's about 300–400 g. Ryuji uses loin offcuts, which the supermarket right in front of their home sells very cheaply in jumbo packs. Thigh meat for shabu-shabu or an assorted pack labeled "thinly sliced" is fine too. Ryuji recommends using "the cheapest meat."

The strength of this hot pot, as Ryuji sees it, is that it tastes good even without pork belly. A hot pot that's delicious without belly meat is rare, Ryuji says. Hot pot broth packages often say to add around five kinds of ingredients, but this hot pot needs only two. Ryuji counts this as a highlight of this hot pot.

First, remove the core. The core is a bit tough and has a smell, so it isn't used this time. After cutting the cabbage in half, when the cut surface gets wide and hard to slice, change the direction and cut at an angle. When the ends get difficult to cut, lay them down before cutting. It doesn't need to be as fine as the shredded cabbage served with tonkatsu; even if it's somewhat thick, it softens once simmered.

You can use store-bought shredded cabbage, but Ryuji recommends cutting it by hand. The reasons given are that pre-shredded cabbage has been soaked in water, so nutrients have leached out, and that buying a whole head and cutting it yourself is more economical.

When a staff member asks whether roughly chopped cabbage would work, Ryuji says shredded is better. When simmered, it's easier to eat together with the meat, while large pieces of cabbage don't balance well with the meat. As for a peeler, Ryuji says there's no need for one, because you can't shave the cabbage all the way down and end up getting out a knife anyway. A peeler makes it too thin, and it's better to keep a bit of texture. On other ingredients, Ryuji says you can add tofu, julienned carrot, mizuna and so on, but takes the position that they probably aren't necessary because the cabbage is delicious.

Put 500 cc of water and 120 cc of sake into the pot. The sake is there to add umami and to tone down the cabbage smell a little. To this, add 2 1/3 teaspoons, or one stick, of "iriko dashi," which Ryuji currently likes.

Because Kaori no Kura has strong umami, the dish can be made deliciously with just pork, cabbage and sake. Still, adding a seafood-based dashi as a hidden flavor makes the cabbage itself very tasty, Ryuji says. If you don't have iriko dashi, Hondashi or kombu dashi is fine.

The pork doesn't go in at this stage. According to Ryuji, cuts like thigh or shoulder loin get tough if overcooked. That's why many people use belly meat, Ryuji says. If you add it at the end and cook it briefly, any kind of pork can be eaten tender. It's the same idea as shabu-shabu, and this hot pot ends up being close to a shredded cabbage shabu-shabu.

While the cabbage simmers, Ryuji makes another side dish to go with drinks. Ryuji's view is that it's better to show in a sponsored video that the product can be used in various dishes.

The fine root hairs on nagaimo can be bothersome. So Ryuji skewers the nagaimo and sears it over a flame to burn off the root hairs. This way you don't have to peel it. When a staff member asks what they should do, Ryuji says they can just peel it, but recommends having a torch or a portable gas stove since they can also be used during disasters. After searing, rub it lightly and the root hairs come off.

Cut it into thick rectangular strips. Julienne is fine too, but it takes more effort, so thicker pieces are easier. Nagaimo is often marinated in soy sauce, but Ryuji says marinating it in Kaori no Kura makes it very tasty. It becomes a quick pickle that absorbs flavor faster than marinating it whole.

As a feature of Kaori no Kura, Ryuji points to the yuzu aroma and introduces its ingredients: 100% Kochi Prefecture yuzu and salt. Pour from the bottle about four or five times to marinate. Because it contains yuzu, it's delicious without adding any other aromatics. It's good to flip it over partway through, and if you want to change the flavor, you can sprinkle on shichimi to make it a bit spicy or add a little pepper. The synergy with the yuzu improves the heat and aroma, but Ryuji also says Kaori no Kura alone is enough. Chill the marinated nagaimo in the refrigerator.

Once it comes to a boil, the cabbage on top still isn't cooked, so stir it. Even if the amount looks large, you can eat a lot once it's cooked down. Ryuji "advocates" eating plenty of cabbage cooked at this time of year, because eating large amounts of raw cabbage tires the stomach and is hard going. The reasons given are that cabbage is among the most nutritious vegetables and its price is relatively stable.

Simmer for about 10 minutes, stir once, then cover and cook for about 5 more minutes. In 10–15 minutes total, the cabbage wilts. Finely shredded cabbage like that sold at convenience stores doesn't need to be simmered this long, but with hand-cut cabbage it's better to take a little time and let it get nice and soft.

Make the dipping sauce while it simmers. Pour in an appropriate amount of Kaori no Kura and add toasted sesame seeds, crushing them with your fingers. Crushing them brings out the aroma, and the sesame and yuzu aromas go well together. It's about two pinches, but three is fine too. It's best to add plenty, enough that the surface is covered with sesame.

The staff laugh, "That's the extra touch?" Ryuji says that Kaori no Kura is delicious so you don't need to do anything, but doing this gives it a special feel. Any hot pot you'd eat with ponzu, such as yosenabe, can be eaten with this sauce, Ryuji says.

After simmering about 3 more minutes, the cabbage turns translucent. Tasting it, it's moist and easy to eat while retaining just a slight crunch. Making a play on their own "Kyomu Recipes" ("Nothingness Recipes"), Ryuji laughs that the process is almost "nothingness," but because it involves hand-cutting, it didn't end up being nothingness.

Only now does about 400 g of pork go in. Right after it's added, it isn't cooked yet, so sink the meat under the cabbage and bury it. This way the meat gets sort of steamed by the cabbage, Ryuji says. Ryuji calls this "ume-shabu" ("buried shabu"). The meat was added all at once, but ideally you should separate the slices one by one with chopsticks. Once it's cooked until no red remains, it's ready to eat.

The nagaimo is eaten first. Since it was cut thick, there was some worry about whether the flavor would soak in, but it was well absorbed. The root hairs were seared off, so they aren't bothersome.

For the hot pot, a heaping portion of cabbage is dipped in the sauce. The staff praise how well the toasty sesame and yuzu go together and say it has plenty of umami, adding that it's delicious even with just cabbage. They also seem convinced that roughly chopped cabbage wouldn't work, and Ryuji explains that roughly chopped cabbage changes the flavor, so it's better to shred it and coat it in Kaori no Kura.

Ryuji also says that since no oil is used in the sauce or elsewhere, it's relatively healthy. The staff had expected the meat to be much drier, but it was tender. According to Ryuji, overcooking makes it dry, so it's best to add it last and eat it once it's cooked through. Ryuji turns off the heat at this point.

The staff suggest that using iriko dashi may have been a good call. With the caveat that this is a promotional video, Ryuji also shows a way of eating it with pork placed on cabbage and a little salt sprinkled on top. Ryuji recommends alternating between the acidity of the Kaori no Kura sauce and the sharp taste of salt. On the point that the yuzu aroma remains even after the sauce becomes diluted later on, the staff remark that it's impressive how the aroma doesn't fade.

When a staff member asks, "Is the finish zosui?", Ryuji answers that there's a finish they like that they haven't done much. By the time you're done eating, only a little soup remains. What goes in here is Malony, which Ryuji settled on after trying various options.

Since Malony is made from starch, a staff member who has been cutting back on gluten lately says they can eat it. Use as much as you like from a 100 g bag; this time about two-thirds was used. The leftover soup alone isn't enough, so instead of adding it directly to the pot, parboil it in separate water. The package says to boil for 8 minutes, but take it out at about 7. Ryuji used the thicker-than-usual hot pot Malony; regular Malony is fine, but the thick noodles are tasty.

Transfer the boiled Malony to the pot and simmer for 2–3 minutes to let it absorb the flavor. The sauce has become diluted, so add more Kaori no Kura and sesame. It's tasty eaten as is with salt, but the method Ryuji rates as the best is dipping it in the Kaori no Kura sauce and eating it like "tsukemen." Even when you're full, the refreshing ponzu makes it go down smoothly, Ryuji says.

Another advantage mentioned is that zosui requires eggs and such, whereas Malony only needs to be boiled separately and added, so you can add as much as you want. During the tasting, both the Malony and the Kaori no Kura run out, and the conversation turns to how a whole bottle gets used up when everyone eats together. Ryuji and the staff close the video by saying that viewers should go all the way to the finish, and that the finish is a must.