Kimchi nabe: a Winter haven

A few days ago, my Japanese friend came over and brought along something lovely that I have been deprived of ever since I left Japan 3 years ago - Kimchi Base. This is used to make kimchi nabe ('nabe' translates to 'pot' in Japanese), I assume it's quite similar to something like kimchi stew though I've never had the real deal before. It is the best winter warmer (they proved this on Japanese TV) and still very appetising during warmer weather! Thought I'd like to share a rough recipe of Kimchi nabe with you guys :)


Kimchi Nabe for 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbsp 'Kimchi Base' - apparently this can be bought at Japanese grocery stores in the city (like Miracle). If you can't find this, you can create a similar taste with more red pepper paste, soy sauce, miso added on top of the following.
• 1 tbsp red pepper paste (adjust according to your taste)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2-3 tsp miso (any kind will do)
• 300 ml water
• 2 fresh prawns, washed
  
• 1/3-1/2 of a medium sized Chinese cabbage, cut into 3cm widths
• 1 handful of kimchi
  
• 3 small square blocks of tofu, cut into quarters
• 1 heaped handful Enoki mushrooms (or any kind you have on hand)
• 1/2 packet of konnyaku noodles (available at Asian groceries)
  
• 1 stalk spring onion, sliced thinly diagonally

Optional (for the leftover soup after eating)

• 1 egg
• easily meltable cheese (such as mozzarella, we used a 4 cheese pizza mix)

METHOD:

1. Bring the water to boil in a medium sized pot. Meanwhile, add the kimchi base, soy sauce, red pepper paste in a bowl with a little bit of hot water in a bowl. Mix well until smooth.
   
2. When water is boiling, add the sauce mixture to the pot. Give it a quick stir.
3. Add cabbage and leave to simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes (or longer if time permits) until soft. You might notice that there may not be enough water, but the cabbage will release a lot of water when boiled.
   
4. Add kimchi, mushrooms, tofu, prawns and half of the sliced spring onions. Simmer for 7-10 minutes.
5. Dissolve miso in a ladle with some of the soup and stir.
6. Take off heat and serve the entire pot on the table. You could serve it with rice if you like but if you look below...
7. Optional (but I reckon this is the best bit of the meal!): Once you're done with the stew, there should be some soup left over in the pot. If there's not enough, just dump the remaining soup from your own bowl to add Dump enough rice in and bring into the boil. Turn off heat and crack an egg into the rice/soup and give it a quick stir. Take off heat so the egg is still slightly raw. Add cheese and mix until melted (this may sound odd, but the combination is heaven!). Now, eat up!
   

Note: You can really add what you want to too, such as meatballs or spare ribs, but Chinese cabbage shouldn't be omitted.