Cooking with a donabe adds a unique flavor to your everyday recipes!

This Banko donabe, made from a particularly heat-resistant clay , absorbs heat slowly and diffuses it gently and evenly. This cooking method allows the full flavor and umami of the ingredients to be revealed.

You can cook stews, soups and Japanese simmered dishes like suki-yaki or shabu-shabu in it, but it is also suitable for cooking rice in the traditional way!

Thanks to its ability to retain heat and cool down slowly, the Banko donabe continues to cook food with residual heat , even after the fire has gone out.

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Tip : its lid can be used as a serving dish!

Note : Because the clay used for donabe is porous, it is necessary to fill the micro-cavities before first use by applying the "Medome" or sealing technique. Firing the clay releases the starch from the rice, which waterproofs the walls of the donabe.

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How to make the "Medome"?

1. Wash the donabe with water, wipe dry and let it dry completely upside down.
2. Fill with water to 3/4 and add approximately 200g of short grain rice (preferably cooked from the day before)
3. Mix, cover and cook over low heat until boiling. Slightly tilt the lid to prevent boil-over and let it simmer.
4. Once the rice is ready, turn off the heat and let it cool for an hour before removing the rice and washing the donabe.

There you go! Your donabe is ready to use!

You also get a delicious rice porridge that you can enjoy with an egg, salmon, kimchi, or even leeks or pickled vegetables...

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• Basic operating instructions in French are provided. Also available HERE.

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This Banko-yaki type Donabe (Banko pottery) is made in the city of Yokkaichi , in Mie Prefecture, Japan.

Banko ceramics have existed for over 300 years and come from one of Japan's main pottery-producing regions.

Yokkaichi , in Mie Prefecture, is the birthplace of Banko-yaki ceramics. There are over 100 potters in Yokkaichi City and Komono City, the main production areas.

Banko-yaki works are easily recognizable by their purple clay (Shidei 紫泥), which is very rich in iron and yellow before firing. The firing process is long (over 24 hours) and takes place in a reduction firing method in gas kilns at 1200°C to produce the characteristic colors.

In 1979, "Yokkaichi Banko-yaki" was designated a traditional craft by the then Minister of International Trade and Industry.

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Features

Fire: Gas only

Material: Yokkaichi clay and "Tenmoku" glaze

Capacity 2.2L - ideal for 3 to 5 people

Made in Yokkaichi, in Mie Prefecture, Japan

Dimensions

Diameter 26cm

Height 16.5cm