P
Japanese · Fukuoka
Tori-nabe Chicken Hotpot and Mizutaki Fukuoka Style
Mizutaki (水炊き) is Fukuoka (Hakata) Prefecture's signature hotpot—a clear chicken broth-based nabe cooked at the table in a donabe clay pot, eaten first as a broth course then as a meat and vegetable course, representing the opposite flavour sequence to most Japanese hotpot traditions. The Hakata mizutaki method builds a profound bone-stock by simmering chicken carcasses with water only (no soy, no mirin, no dashi additions) for three to four hours until the collagen from bones and cartilage has fully dissolved into a rich, milky-white ponzu (cloudy stock from collagen). This is the mizutaki no dashi—served as the meal's opening course in a small cup with salt, before any other eating begins, as a pure expression of chicken bone flavour. Subsequently, chicken pieces (thigh, breast, skin, neck cartilage), tofu, Chinese cabbage, spring onion, and fu (wheat gluten) are added in sequence. Each item is eaten with ponzu sauce and condiments (momiji-oroshi, spring onion, yuzu). The Hakata tori-suki variation adds more soy flavour to the broth and includes egg dipping in sukiyaki style. The mizutaki tradition's insistence on clear water as the only broth foundation (no shoyu or mirin enrichment) produces a philosophically pure expression of poultry flavour—the chicken must be exceptional quality or the broth will be thin and lacking.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the mizutaki dashi
1.5 kg
chicken carcasses and bones
rinsed under cold water
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 litres
cold water
Your own market
For the pot
400 g
chicken thigh pieces
bone-in, cut through the bone into large pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 g
chicken breast pieces
bone-in where possible, cut into large pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
chicken neck cartilage
left whole
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
80 g
chicken skin
one large piece, added raw at the start of the pot stage
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
300 g
400 g
Chinese cabbage (hakusai)
leaves separated, cut into large sections
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
spring onions (negi)
cut into 5 cm lengths
Your own market
80 g
fu (wheat gluten)
softened in cold water, squeezed gently
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the ponzu dipping sauce
120 ml
ponzu
citrus-soy sauce; use commercial or combine yuzu juice and soy in equal parts
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the condiments
60 g
momiji-oroshi
grated daikon mixed with dried red chilli; prepared before service
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
spring onions
finely sliced, for the dipping condiment bowl
Your own market
1
For the finishing zosui
200 g
cooked short-grain rice
loosely cooked; added to remaining broth at the meal's close
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
eggs
beaten
Your own market
2
spring onions
finely sliced, for finishing the zosui
Your own market
Seasoning
1 tsp
fine sea salt
for the initial broth cup only; no seasoning enters the pot
Your own market
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II
The Method
1
Place the rinsed chicken carcasses and bones in a large heavy pot. Cover with 3 litres of cold water and bring slowly to the boil over medium heat. As the water rises to a simmer, skim the surface repeatedly and thoroughly until no further grey foam rises — this stage determines the ultimate clarity and cleanliness of the mizutaki dashi. No seasoning, no aromatics, and no dashi additions are used at any point.
2
Reduce the heat to a steady, gentle simmer and continue cooking uncovered for three to four hours, adding water as needed to keep the bones submerged. This is where the dish lives or dies: only full collagen extraction from bones and cartilage — achieved through patient, uninterrupted simmering — produces the characteristically rich, milky-white stock that is mizutaki no dashi. At less than three hours the broth will be thin and pale; at three to four hours it will be opaque, slightly viscous, and carry a pronounced natural sweetness. Taste for body: the broth should coat the lips faintly when sipped from a spoon.
3
Strain the finished dashi through a fine sieve into a clean pot, pressing lightly on the solids. Discard the spent bones. The strained dashi should appear milky-white and slightly cloudy — not grey or thin. Ladle the hot broth into small cups, season each with a pinch of fine salt at table, and serve as the meal's opening course before any ingredient is placed in the pot. Each diner drinks this first broth alone, as the pure expression of chicken bone flavour that gives mizutaki its philosophical foundation.
4
Transfer the strained dashi to a donabe clay pot set over a portable table burner. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add the raw chicken skin first, then add the firm tofu and the softened fu, followed by the Chinese cabbage stems. Allow the pot to return to a simmer before the next addition — the sturdy, slower-cooking items must enter before the softer vegetables to maintain even cooking and preserve broth clarity. The cabbage should be beginning to soften and translucent at its edges when the next stage begins.
From the canon — The donabe (clay/earthenware pot) is one of Japan's most ancient and most currently celebrated cooking vessels — experiencing a significant renaissance drive… Donabe — Clay Pot Cooking Traditions →
5
Add the bone-in chicken thigh pieces, breast pieces, and neck cartilage to the simmering pot. Cook at a low simmer — not a rolling boil, which would cloud the broth and toughen the meat. The chicken is ready when the pieces are cooked through and the meat begins to pull very slightly from the bone when pressed with chopsticks. Add the spring onion lengths in the final minute. Each diner takes pieces from the communal pot and dips them in ponzu, finishing with momiji-oroshi, sliced spring onion, and a squeeze of yuzu.
6
When the main eating is complete, add the cooked rice to the remaining broth in the donabe. Stir gently and bring to a quiet simmer. The broth at this stage will have concentrated and deepened through the meal. Pour the beaten egg in a slow, steady stream across the surface, cover for thirty seconds, then remove the lid. The zosui is ready when the egg has just set to a soft, silken finish across the rice — the porridge should be loose, not thick. Scatter sliced spring onion over the surface and serve immediately from the pot.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Hakata jidori or a named free-range heritage breed raised on pasture — dense marrow, abundant cartilage, and high collagen yield produce a dashi of extraordinary body and natural sweetness without any supplementary seasoning.
02
Estate — Regional free-range chicken with bone-in cuts sourced from a single farm or butcher; sufficient collagen and fat for a fully milky, satisfying dashi, and ponzu made with freshly squeezed yuzu.
03
Market — Good-quality supermarket chicken carcasses and bone-in thighs; the dashi will be lighter but acceptable at four hours; commercial ponzu of reliable citrus character is appropriate.
04
House — Standard chicken carcasses; the broth will require the full four-hour simmer to achieve minimal body; the absence of marrow-rich bones is the binding constraint at this rung — the dish is still coherent, but the opening broth course will lack depth.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The strained dashi is milky-white and visibly cloudy — not pale and translucent — indicating full collagen release from the bones.
◇Touch. A small amount of dashi rubbed between thumb and forefinger leaves a faint, slightly slippery film, confirming dissolved collagen content.
◇Smell. The broth carries a clean, round, deeply chickeny aroma with no sharpness or off-note — no additions have masked or distorted it.
◇Sight. The finishing zosui egg has set to a soft, pale layer across the rice surface — not raw and liquid, not rubbery and over-cooked.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the three-to-four-hour bone simmer: only sustained, patient extraction of collagen from bones and cartilage produces the milky, viscous, naturally sweet mizutaki dashi — without it, the broth cannot be seasoned into adequacy.
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VI
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