Hari-hari Nabe

MAFF’s Osaka entry presents Hari-hari nabe in whale-meat and substituted-meat forms. This selected school-lunch association recipe uses whale red meat and kyona potherb mustard.

Water and shaved bonito make the complete named broth: the flakes simmer before the liquid is strained. Sake, soy sauce, sugar and mirin then season that same broth.

Whale meat joins the boiling seasoned broth, followed by potherb mustard cut into short lengths. The leaves cook quickly, preserving the crisp texture emphasized in the entry.

Meat, leaves and the same broth are served hot together in small bowls with grated ginger. The selected optional finishing spice is shichimi, rather than the source’s alternative powdered sansho.

The entry identifies the dish with Osaka’s winter tables and restaurant food culture, including versions using other meats. Its explanation of the name evokes the sound of the crisp greens, without making every Hari-hari recipe a whale-meat formula.