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Soy Milk Hot Pot
4.8 from 56 votes

Soy Milk Hot Pot

Soy Milk Hot Pot combines thinly sliced pork and an assortment of mushrooms and leafy vegetables simmered in a dashi-based broth enriched with warm soy milk, miso, and toasted sesame seeds. This warming dish balances creamy and umami flavors with fresh greens, ideal for communal meals served with ponzu dipping sauce.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 453 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • 1 lb pork loin skip for vegetarian, thinly sliced
  • 7 oz enoki mushrooms (1 package)
  • 3.5 oz shimeji mushrooms (1 package)
  • 4 shiitake mushrooms
  • ¼ head Napa cabbage (1.5 lb, 680 g)
  • ½ bunch Mizuna or spinach or any leafy greens, Japanese mustard green
  • 1 bunch Chrysanthemum Greens or any leafy greens, aka shungiku
  • 1 green onion or leek or green onions/scallions, aka Tokyo negi, naga negi, long green onion
  • 1 green onion or scallion
  • 1 tofu 14 oz, 396 g, medium-firm, aka momen dofu
  • ½ daikon radish (1 lb, 454 g)
  • 1 carrot (3 oz, 85 g)
  • 1 burdock root 5.3 oz, 150 g, aka gobo
For the Hot Pot Soup
  • 3 cups dashi I use Awase Dashi; for vegan/vegetarian, make Vegan Dashi, Japanese soup stock
  • ¼ cup sake
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • 2 cups soy milk microwave till it’s warm, unsweetened
  • ¼ cup miso paste
  • 2 Tbsp white sesame seeds toasted
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt to taste, Diamond Crystal brand
Dipping Sauce
  • ponzu

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Hot Pot Broth
  1. In your donabe (earthenware pot) or a large pot, add 3 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), ¼ cup sake, and ¼ cup mirin. Cover and bring the soup to a boil on medium heat.
  2. Once boiling, warm and add 2 cups unsweetened soy milk. On medium heat, slowly heat up until the soup almost boils. Keep the lid uncovered and stir once in a while. Meanwhile, grind 2 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds in a pestle and mortar.
  3. Once the soup is hot, add ¼ cup miso and the ground sesame seeds.
  4. Taste the soup and add ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt if you like it saltier. Depending on the brands and types of miso, the saltiness of your soup will vary. I recommend making the soup a little bit saltier since you’ll add vegetables that will release water and dilute the soup. Turn off the heat and set aside. Keep it covered.
To Prepare the Hot Pot Ingredients
  1. If your 1 lb thinly sliced pork loin is not thinly sliced, you have to slice it on your own. To see how, visit my post on How to Slice Meat Thinly (DIY). (Pictured below is thinly sliced beef.)
  2. Cut off and discard the bottom of 7 oz enoki mushrooms and 3.5 oz shimeji mushrooms.
  3. Cut off and discard the stem of 4 shiitake mushrooms. If you like, make a decorative cut on the shiitake caps.
  4. Cut ¼ head napa cabbage into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces widthwise. Then cut into 2–3 pieces lengthwise on the thick and white bottom part of napa cabbage so that it’ll be faster to cook.
  5. Cut ½ bunch mizuna (Japanese mustard green) (or spinach) and 1 bunch shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces.
  6. Cut 1 Tokyo negi (naga negi; long green onion) diagonally into pieces 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Thinly slice 1 green onion/scallion.
  7. Cut 1 medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices.
  8. Peel the skin off ½ daikon radish and 1 carrot. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the daikon and carrot into thin strips as if you are peeling their skin. You can cut these root vegetables into thinly rounds or quarters, but my family loves eating root vegetables in long paper-thin form.
  9. Scrape the skin off 1 gobo (burdock root) with a knife. Then, peel the gobo into thin strips the same way as the daikon and carrot. Soak the thinly sliced gobo in water for 15 minutes to prevent them from changing color.
  10. Put all the vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu in a platter.
To Cook the Hot Pot
  1. Start cooking some of the tough/dense vegetables (the tough part of napa cabbage leaves, negi, tofu, mushrooms, daikon, carrot, and gobo) over medium heat, saving some for later batch as well as the leafy vegetables that will cook fast. Cover the lid so it will cook faster. Once the broth is simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low heat so the broth won‘t curdle. Simmer for 10 minutes, but make sure you won‘t let it boil. You can either start serving food that’s cooked. Root vegetables take a longer time to cook. Add the meat and leafy vegetables and cover to cook until the meat is no longer pink. Using a fine-mesh skimmer, skim any curdles floating on the soup. You can eat the curdle or discard it.
To Enjoy
  1. Each person should have a small bowl of ponzu sauce and chopped scallions. Dip the cooked meat and vegetables in ponzu sauce to enjoy! Keep cooking the ingredients in the pot as you enjoy the meal.
To Store
  1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and in the freezer for up to a month.

Notes

  • Named recipe author is Namiko Chen from Just One Cookbook; respect copyright and re-write if sharing.
  • For vegetarians, omit pork and use vegetable or vegan dashi.
  • Ensure soy milk is warmed gently to prevent curdling when added to hot broth.

Nutrition Information

Calories 453kcal (23%) Carbohydrates 35g (12%) Protein 45g (90%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g (29%) Monounsaturated Fat 4g (20%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 75mg (25%) Sodium 656mg (27%) Potassium 1789mg (38%) Fiber 11g (44%) Sugar 13g (26%) Vitamin A 4489IU (90%) Vitamin C 79mg (88%) Calcium 472mg (47%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 453

% Daily Value*

Calories 453kcal 23%
Carbohydrates 35g 12%
Protein 45g 90%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 75mg 25%
Sodium 656mg 27%
Potassium 1789mg 38%
Fiber 11g 44%
Sugar 13g 26%
Vitamin A 4489IU 90%
Vitamin C 79mg 88%
Calcium 472mg 47%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.