Ingredients

• 2 1/2 teaspoons dashi (instant flakes)
• 1 lb fatty ham, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons red miso
• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 1 medium carrot, trimmed, peeled, sliced crosswise on the bias, and blanched
• 1 piece daikon radish, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and blanched
• 1 medium waxy potato, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise and blanched
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise, and blanched
• 10 ounces firm tofu, cut into 2 inch cubes
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps halved
• 2 ounces enoki mushrooms, trimmed
• 1 (2 7/8 ounce) package fried tofu, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (abura-age)
• 1/4 head napa cabbage, cored and cut into large pieces
• 1 bunch chives
• 4 cups steamed short-grain rice (optional) or 1 lb udon noodles (optional)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring 10 cups cold water to a boil in a wide medium cooking pot over high heat. Add dashi flakes, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring until flakes completely dissolve, about 1 minute.

2. Add pork, sake, and mirin to dashi and simmer, skimming any foam that rises to surface, until pork is tender, 15-30 minutes.

3. Dissolve red and white misos in 1 cup broth from cooking pot in a small bowl, then stir back into cooking pot.

4. At the table, set cooking pot on a portable stove in center of table and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

5. Add carrots, daikon, potatoes, onions, firm tofu, mushrooms, fried tofu, cabbage, and chives, in that order, and simmer until vegetables are just soft, about 5 minutes. The hot pot is now ready to be eaten "self-serve" style in medium bowls.

6. (Optional) Once all the pork, vegetables, and tofu have been eaten, use a small sieve to pick out scraps. Bring remaining broth in cooking pot back to a simmer, then add rice or noodles and stir in eggs.

7. Simmer until broth is absorbed by rice, about 5 minutes, or until noodles are cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Divide between bowls.