Donabe Guide: Their Unique Characteristics & How to Make Them Shine

Donabe Guide: 
What to Cook in Them to Make Their Unique Characteristics Shine
Sachie Uchimaru

Over the holidays, we were so happy to see that our donabes were a popular gift choice for loved ones. Now that the holiday frenzy has settled a bit, we wonder if there may be some lucky recipients of a donabe that are not as familiar with these traditional Japanese ceramic vessels.

This is a donabe educational guide for those donabe-newbies as well as the donabe-curious, and perhaps even for the seasoned donabe-experts! 

Key Characteristics of Donabe Cooking

At our store we are frequently asked, “How is a donabe different from a Dutch Oven?”  

Here are the key characteristics of a donabe that make them unique cooking vessels and why they have been beloved in Japan for hundreds of years: 

Slower Rise to High Temperatures 

Donabes have a slower rise to peak temperature and hence the umami and inherent sweetness of the ingredients cooked inside are gently coaxed out. Due to the more gradual increase in temperature, the ingredients are cooked without becoming mushy and losing their structure. This is best observed when cooking root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, beets, and kabocha. In Japan we say donabes are “tsuchinomono” (literal translation is “from the dirt”- but loosely translated to “from the Earth”) due to them being made from clay–hence the belief is that they shine when you cook things that are also “tsuchinomono” (like root vegetables!)
 Niku-jyaga (“meat and potatoes”)- a popular dish using many tsuchinomono (things from the Earth) that highlights the strengths of a donabe (Photo courtesy of KYOTOH) 

Higher Heat Retention

Donabes stay hotter for much longer compared to a Dutch Oven or a steel pot, allowing for a more gradual cooling process. This slow cooling process is essential for what the Japanese call “shimikomi” or “soaking in of flavors.” As flavors seep into vegetables and proteins better at higher temperatures, using a donabe allows the food to soak in more of the flavors as it remains hotter for longer. You can maximize this characteristic by wrapping your donabe in a thick towel after turning off the gas to hold in the heat even more. 

Higher heat for longer means that proteins will also continue to break down and soften. 

You can also turn off the gas earlier than cooking in other types of pots, as the cooking will continue due to the heat retention of the donabe– this means savings on your gas bill, yay! 

Graph showing how the Daikoku Banko Ware Rice Donabe maintains near boiling temperature even after the gas is turned off for approximately 20 minutes. Credit: Kagetsu 

Far-Infrared Cooking 
The natural clay used for donabes allow for far-infrared rays to cook the food, similar to yakitori grilling with binchotan coals, allowing the food ingredients to be cooked from its core and with even temperatures. 
(Credit: KYOTOH) 

Our Two Donabe Manufacturers 

We are honored to carry donabes from two companies in Japan. 

Kagetsu, a family-run business making ceramics for over 150 years in Yokkaichi, Japan that were pioneers in modern donabe manufacturing, and KYOTOH, a 70 year old company based in Gifu Prefecture where there is a 1300 year old history of Japanese ceramic making called Mino-Yaki.

Donabes from both of these companies have truly outstanding performance, and stood out to us from the many other donabes that are available in Japan. 

Kagetsu was the creator of the modern donabe clay formula, as household cooking in Japan was transitioning from traditional wood-fire to gas after World War II and donabes needed to adjust to its higher temperatures. The current CEO’s father and uncle identified petalite as a key ingredient that can increase the donabe’s heat tolerance, after finding clues in the heat-resistant tiles of NASA rockets. \
 Credit:  Takahide Urata.
Because Kagetsu’s donabes use a higher percentage of petalite in its clay formula than other companies, it is resistant to cracking even so much that you can bring it from the fridge straight to direct flame. They also retain their heat incredibly well. This is best seen in their rice donabes which only require about 10 minutes of direct flame and the rest of the cooking will be done without any external fire source, as the temperature inside the donabe remains at around 203 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. 

Rice cooked in a Kagetsu rice donabe, requiring only 10 minutes of direct flame due to its heat retention qualities
 (Credit Takahide Urata)
Hiroo Fujii, 5th generation owner of Kagetsu Credit:  Takahide Urata.
The KYOTOH donabes from Gifu Prefecture are an example of the art of blending tradition with modern design and functionality. Their donabes feature a lid design that allows for an easy secure grasp, and a specially designed underside that allows condensation to drip straight back into the food– requiring less water to add to the food and intensifying flavors as a result. This allows for "musui" (or "waterless") cooking--you need to add very little water when making dishes such as Japanese curry. Sounds unbelievable, but tested and true!
Japanese curry cooked with less water in the KYOTOH donabes 
The KYOTOH donabe also boasts a perfect seal which allows for the far infrared effects to be maximized, and creates an almost pressure-cooker like environment inside. The KYOTOH donabes have won numerous design awards around the world, including the coveted iF DESIGN AWARD. 

(Credit: KYOTOH) 
The Range of Dishes Possible in a Donabe 
Here are some dishes featuring the wide range of cooking you can do in these amazing clay pots.
Traditional Nabe (aka “hot pot”) 
The most popular way to use a soup donabe in Japan, nabe is our family’s go-to weekday meal when we need something healthy and quick to put on the table after coming home late from work, rushing in between kid’s sports practices, etc., etc. 
We’ve put together a Donabe Pantry-to-go-kit here for your convenience, and a recipe to go with it. You can use any vegetable and protein combo you have in your fridge/freezer with these pantry items for a fast and healthy meal.
 Credit:  Motoko Takeuchi 
Put 1500ml water in your donabe, heat until simmering (but not a full boil). 
Rip open 1 to 2 packets of Flying Fish Dashi Packets and mix the contents into the water. Stir until mostly dissolved, some pieces will remain but that’s okay.
Add 3 tablespoons of Kamada Dashi Soy sauce, salt to season. 
Add in whatever ingredients you would like in your nabe. Popular vegetables include napa cabbage, mushrooms (shiitake, shimeji, enoki,  maitake), thinly sliced carrots, leeks or Japanese negi (green onions). Popular proteins for nabe include bite sized chicken, thinly shaved pork, tofu, shrimp, white fish filets like cod, clams. The more different things you put in, the more umami your nabe will develop! (This style of throwing in whatever you have is called yose-nabe) 
When ingredients are done cooking, people can serve into their individual bowls. 
Sprinkle Yuzukararin and drizzle a bit of finishing sesame oil into your own bowl for the ultimate fragrance and taste.
Continue to use the same dashi broth and add in more ingredients- you will notice that the broth gets better and better as the meal progresses.
Acquapazza 
The slower heating characteristic of a donabe allows seafood to be able to retain its moisture and structure, including a whole fish. The KYOTOH donabes work best for this as it has a complete seal. You can swap out any of the seafood for ingredients of your choice. 

(Credit: KYOTOH) 
1 Sea Bream (or other whole fish of your choosing such as snapper or sea bass, approx. 1.7 lbs)
Half dozen mussels
Half dozen clams
5 0z water 
Handful of black olives
1 tablespoon of capers
5-6 cloves of garlic 
Handful of cherry tomatoes
1 or 2 Octopus legs (optional) 
3 thyme sprigs 
Finely chop the garlic and olives 
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the donabe and place over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the remaining ingredients including water, and cover.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes.
With heat turned off, add the thyme, cover and steam for 3 minutes to infuse the thyme flavor. 

Goulash 
This dish features the benefits of the far-infrared heating and the slow cooling of a donabe that allows the meat to become tender, and shimikomi (soaking in of flavors) to happen. 

(Credit: KYOTOH)
5-6 cloves of garlic 
1lb of beef shoulder 
2 onions 
1 red pepper 
27 0z tomato sauce 
Paprika powder 
3.30z Fond de veau (or other beef stock, or stock of your choosing) 

Cut the beef shoulder into ¾ inch cubes 
Dice the onion and red pepper into wedges, finely mince the garlic 
Sprinkle the meat with salt, pepper and paprika
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a donabe pot and place over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant
Add the beef and stir until all sides are browned 
Add onion and red pepper, and continue to heat while stirring until onion is translucent
Add the tomato sauce and beef stock and simmer with lid on until it has reached desired thickness
Season with salt and pepper 

Tonjiru

(Credit: Motoko Takeuchi) 
Tonjiru is at the top of my list when I think of Japanese comfort food. Filled with hearty vegetables (many of which are tsuchinomono), tonjiru is filling and nutritious, and soothing for the soul. The slow rise in temperature in a donabe allows the root vegetables to retain their structure as well as maximizes the umami coaxed out of them. Also this is a great dish to serve for a dinner party--it is filling and serves many people, and serving it on the table in your beautiful donabe is a statement! 
Sesame oil 
A handful of thinly sliced pork (can also make this just as well without the pork) 
⅓ gobo (burdock root), cleaned and thinly sliced (or you can use our dehydrated gobo for ease!) 
¼ of a daikon, thinly sliced (or use our dehydrated daikon) 
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
½ onion, sliced
A handful of mushrooms of your choice (shiitake, maitake, shimeji all work well- or use this mix) 
1-2 small potatoes or sweet potatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon minced ginger 
1 to 2 minced garlic 
½ konnyaku (yam cake), thinly sliced and parboiled
1 dashi packet 
Miso paste (Amount depends on type of miso and your taste preference, but I would say usually 2-3 tablespoons for a donabe) 
2 green onions chopped
Ground sesame seeds 

When cutting the daikon and carrot, use ginkgo-leaf cut (icho-giri). Basically this means cutting in half, and then half again into quarter cuts. 
Gobo root is prepared by using the back of your knife to scrape off the skin, then soaking in water for 10 minutes or so to get the lye out after you’ve cut them into thin slices 
Add sesame oil to the donabe and place over medium-high heat. 
Add pork and cook until browned. Remove pork and set aside. 
Add gobo until it begins to caramelize, then remove and set aside. (If you’re using our dehydrated gobo, you can skip this and throw in the gobo later in Step 6)
Quickly saute daikon, carrot, onion, mushrooms, potato, ginger, garlic, and konnyaku.
Add pork and gobo back to the Donabe. Stir well to mix ingredients evenly. 
Add enough water to cover the ingredients, more if you prefer a broth-heavy tonjiru. 
Open up a dashi packet and pour the dashi powder into the broth. 
Once ingredients are firm, but mostly cooked, add miso. (The exact amount of miso depends greatly on what miso you are using, and how you like your food seasoned. Add 1 Tbsp at a time and taste.) 
Serve with green onion and sesame seed for additional flavor. 

Tantanmen Noodles in Two-Way Service Donabe 

As our Two-Way Service Donabe doubles as a cooking and eating vessel, it maximizes a donabe’s heat retention capabilities and ensures that your meal remains piping hot until the very end. In my opinion this is best experienced with a noodle soup dish–there is a reason why this product was called “the Ramen Donabe” in its previous life! 

(Awaiting recipe and new photo here from kagetsu) 

Chilled Tomato Dessert (waiting for them to send me actual photo-placeholder) 
This recipe highlights the heat retention capacities of a donabe 
6 Small Tomatoes
100g of Sugar (adjust as desired) 
Boil water in a donabe (the Daikoku Banko Ware rice donabes works exceptionally well for this but any donabe will work!). 
Carve out the cores of the tomatoes while you’re waiting for water to boil, and make a small x on the bottom of the tomato with a paring knife. 
Blanch the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 1 minute, then dunk in cold water to loosen the skin. (Ice water works best!) The skin should easily peel off the tomatoes. 
Put a smaller bowl inside the donabe on top of the hot water, put the tomatoes inside with the sugar, and pour enough hot water to cover. 
Cover with the inner lid of the rice donabe (if you’re using a rice donabe), and then the outside lid. 
Simmer on medium for 10 minutes, then let sit for 10 minutes. 
Chill the tomatoes in the refrigerator (or enjoy warm)

More Donabe Tips

Donabes are made from clay, which means there are natural tiny airholes. Traditionally, to ensure the longest use of your beautiful donabe, you want to plug the holes with a starchy liquid before your first use–very similar to how you cure a molcajete with rice before first use. This prevents cracks from forming, as well as food and moisture from being trapped in the donabe which can lead to mold. If you find a hairline crack in your donabe after using it for a while, you can also treat it using this method. 

Kagetsu donabes have been pre-treated so you do not need to do this, but for the KYOTOH donabes we recommend you take this step. Easiest way is to fill the donabe ¾ of the way with water, and slowly cook a cup of cooked rice over low heat for an hour or so and let it cool and congeal, or do the same with potato starch or flour. Let the starchy liquid sit for a day, wash, and dry completely before storing. 

Because of the porous nature, you do not want to leave a donabe soaking in water for long periods of time, as this can lead to mold. Quickly wash, and then air dry upside down. Do not use a dishwasher. 

This also means you want to transfer any leftovers to a different dish to prevent staining or smells to seep in unnecessarily. 

Avoid “heat shocking” your KYOTOH donabe, or taking it from high heat to cold rapidly. Wait for it to cool before you wash it in the sink, for instance. Kagetsu donabe are formulated to have a higher shock resistance but minimizing instances of shock will ensure longevity.

If you get some burns on the bottom of the inside surface, put some water and baking soda in and simmer, then scrub off. Tawashis are great to use with a donabe. 

Finally, if you ever have any questions about your donabe you can always email us at info@bernalcutlery.com

Happy cooking!