The hearty hot pot eaten in vast quantities by sumo wrestlers to build mass: a dashi or chicken broth brimming with chicken meatballs, tofu, mushrooms and heaps of vegetables, simmered communally at the table. Traditionally chicken was the meat of choice, as a good-luck superstition: a chicken stands on two legs, whereas four-legged meat (beef, pork) was avoided because a wrestler's hands touching the ground means a loss. Beef and pork entered chankonabe from around 1965, though chicken chanko is still eaten for luck (e.g. at New Year).
Chankonabe is the protein-laden hotpot of the sumo stable, ladled out in vast quantities to feed wrestlers building bulk. Eaten communally from one pot, it is so identified with the sport that retired wrestlers often open chankonabe restaurants.
Each spoonful is clean and deeply savory, the broth turning richer as chicken, mushrooms and cabbage release their sweetness into it. The meatballs are tender and gingery, and by the end the noodle finish is the soul-warming payoff.
Long communal simmering layers umami as collagen, glutamates and vegetable sugars dissolve into the broth, building depth without heavy seasoning. Adding ingredients in order of density ensures each cooks to its ideal texture.
Variations
shio (salt) base, miso base, soy base, seafood chanko, pork or beef versions
On the Palate
Where Chankonabe sits in the Japanese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 110 min
Make a broth by simmering dashi or chicken stock with sake, mirin and soy sauce.
- 28 min
Mix ground chicken with grated ginger, scallion and egg, then shape into meatballs.
- 33 min
Bring the broth to a gentle boil in a large pot at the table.
- 48 min
Drop in the chicken meatballs and simmer until they float and cook through.
Watch outThe meatballs are cooked through once they bob up to the surface — if they're still sinking, give them another minute.
- 58 min
Add firm vegetables such as daikon and carrot and simmer until tender.
Watch outAdd the dense roots first and simmer till a chopstick goes through easily — rush them in with the soft stuff and they stay hard and raw.
- 63 min
Layer in cabbage, mushrooms, tofu and leafy greens.
- 74 min
Simmer briefly until everything is just cooked and the broth is rich.
Watch outStop the moment the greens wilt and everything's just tender — over-simmer and the cabbage goes to mush and the tofu turns spongy.
- 83 min
Ladle into bowls and finish the pot with udon or rice to soak up the broth.
