This is a beautifully compiled cookery book. It was a pleasure to read and imagine the taste of the various recipes. I will definitely be trying a few of the broths and I like the idea of trying to cook with tofu which is something I have never done. I am looking forward to reading the authors blog and previous cookery books.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I'd never heard of Hot Pots before maybe a year or two ago, one of my favorite Youtubers does them with her family for Christmas, and seeing the food and the experience made me super interested and also really hungry. But in my crappy little town, we don't have any place that has Nabemono, so I figured I was relegated to dreaming and being hungry forever. 

Enter this book, which I was super excited to read. Tell me your magical food secrets, I want to dip meats and veggies in broth and eat the hell out of it. 

After reading this book, I am absolutely ready to continue dreaming and being hungry forever. 

She lost me right around the time she said Kobe wagyu beef was her favorite protein.

Also the equipment listed at the beginning, the only thing I own is a rice cooker. And someone else paid for that. 

Seriously, who has the money for the items she includes in these recipes?

To her credit, some of them are SUPER simple, and still sound incredibly mouth watering. She does an excellent job of describing flavor combinations, including for ingredients I've heard of but never tasted. 

But the odds of me ever eating this deliciousness? I'm more convinced than ever those odds are not good.

An excellent introduction with recipes for this Japanese cooking method. I especially liked the introduction which gave the basics of this cooking methods, I just wish that section had been more detailed.

Lots of delicious recipes.

Nabemono, translated to cooking pot (nabe) and things (mono). It is commonly known at nabe, and has been in use for over a thousand years. Traditionally, nabe has been cooked in clay pots, but today, you can buy electric nabe. It is something that can be cooked at the table (think in terms of fondue pots) for a community meal. 

According to the author, “Nabe cooking is not pretentious – it’s casual and more about bringing people together.” In this book, Kimoto-Kahn gives us 12 recipes for the base broth (including beef broth, corn broth, and tomato broth) and 75 recipes for what to put into the broth (like carrots, onion, tofu, etc.). She has included both the traditional Japanese recipes and added recipes with flavors from Thailand and Mongolia.

Over the years, I have had nabe in a food courts in Hong Kong and restaurants throughout Asia, and cannot wait to try many, if not all, the recipes Kimoto-Kahn has shared with us. The photos alone will stir your tastebuds and make you want to try this in your home with friends and family.

I love hot pot soups, so I was excited to check out Amy Kimoto-Kahn's newest cookbook. I like how she has various different soup bases at the start. Some only need a few ingredients and while others are a little longer. I know Amy is keeping things authentic in her recipes, but some of the ingredients are not easy to find. You will definitely need a trip or two to the Asian market. And listing Kobe wagyu beef and various pricey mushrooms in her recipes is kind of a bummer for those who are on a budget. What it comes down to is this book is great for people who are comfortable and knowledgeable towards Asian cuisine and they don't mind shelling some cash for pricey ingredients.

The author delivered an exceptional presentation of traditional, Japanese, hot-pot cooking. Its well-organized  pages were filled with colorful illustrations, many that carried a personal touch. Not to miss a beat, Amy clearly displayed  ingredients, recommended cooking strategies and completed meals. The simple ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions made for a complete cookbook that would be an asset in any kitchen.

The appeal of one-pot cooking is in its simplicity, variety and, especially, the ease of clean-up. For a pleasant change, there's never a smell of burning oil or burnt food permeating the kitchen. Undercooked or overcooked meals become a thing of the past. If you're a huge fan of one-pot meals, such as I am, then this is the book for you.

I extend my thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Race Point Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I found this book a fascinating read with lots of beautiful pictures of food that look amazing. Even the vegetarian recipes look tasty as often I find these quite disappointing. I’m quite excited to try some of these delicious dishes out. Also the deserts at the back of the book look amazing.

Although I'd heard of hot pots before picking up this cookbook, I honestly had little idea what they actually were.  Which, is a good part of why this book attracted my attention.  That and I love to cook - and eat - different kinds of food.  Besides, get a load of that cover.  Doesn't it make you hungry just looking at it?

So, what is a hot pot exactly?  It's a healthy, affordable meal that is also quick and easy to prepare.  Starting with a steaming hot broth, you build upon it by adding proteins, vegetables, rice or noodles, sauce, and garnishes.  A good-for-you dinner that will fill your belly and not break the bank at the same time.  

Simply Hot Pots covers all the bases giving you recipes for twelve different broths, a handful of sauces, and hot pots to fit every taste, diet, and need.  There are plenty of meat-based, seafood-based, and vegetarian recipes to choose from as well as a special section for spicy hot pots in case that's your jam.  Truth be told, I love spicy stir fries, so I'm definitely all in with these spicy hot pots.  

This is an exceptionally comprehensive cookbook.  You're not only given a ton of recipes (including desserts!) and instructions on how to build the perfect hot pot, but you're also blessed with a ton of additional information as well.  There's a list of traditional equipment as well as substitutions that you probably already have lurking in your cupboards.  You get a glossary of ingredients plus more common replacements in case you're unable to locate some of the more unique ingredients.  In addtion, the photos of the food - and the author's family - are beautifully done, making you want to pull up a chair and grab your chopsticks.

This book has the most delicious looking food! I’m so glad there is a glossary at the back because I don’t know what some of these ingredients. Can’t wait to start making some of these dishes for my family! Big thank you to NetGalley for the free download and to the author and publisher of this wonderful book!

Quarto very kindly contacted me to let me know Simply Hot Pots was available for review; as I was at that very moment considering whether or not to blow my budget and order pho (sort of like Vietnamese hot pot), it seemed like a sign… Needless to say, I ordered the pho (garlic steak, it was delicious) and downloaded the book immediately.
I may have mentioned before that I like to cook. My favourite TV shows are on the Food Network channel, I have entire shelves of cookery books, and my family regularly suffer through me experimenting with new recipes. (Deep fried Yorkshire pudding. Seriously, it was better than it sounded)… And while I’ve been to Japan, and like the food culture very much, I had never heard of Nabemono. I was immediately interested.
Needless to say, it sounds absolutely delicious...
The introduction is both sweet and poignant, as the author describes not only where her love for nabemono came from, but the role food plays in the history and life of her family. It was deeply personal, and rather lovely. If anything, it made me love the book, and the idea of nabemono, more. I am always genuinely sold when cookery book authors manage to place their love of food, and the cuisine they are sharing, within the real context of their family life. For me, that’s what food is all about, and what makes it so special. It has the ability to bring people together in a shared experience. It’s such a huge part of the fabric of our lives, our families, history and heritage, and in many ways plays a role in helping us define who we are. Those food memories, those experiences around the table, remind us of what, and who, is important. And that’s what nabemono is all about.
As with all Quarto books (at least the ones I’ve read so far), the photography and layout are gorgeous. There are plenty of mouthwatering pictures of food, all in beautiful table layouts centred around these deeply envy-worthy donabe pots (I’m aware that donabe means “pot”, so I’ve just said pot-pot, but the sentence just doesn’t look right without it – no judgement). I mean, seriously. I love a good kitchen gadget or accessory, and these have just made it onto my list of must-have items. I’m also rather taken by the idea that not only will my new donabe last a lifetime (so it’s clearly a bargain, and how could I possibly feel bad about buying one?), but requires lovingly sealing to prevent cracking – a bit like a traditional Japanese clay tea pot (which I also covet, in case anyone was wondering).
The recipes themselves range from very simple, with a few easily found ingredients, to the sort of thing which would make you look like Martha Stewart if you served it a dinner party. The mark of a good cookery book. And apart from a donabe, they require very little equipment – there was nothing else you wouldn’t already have at home.
Stock making from scratch sounds complicated and time consuming – and I think it can be. But Simply Hot Pots makes it simple, with a range of recipes with easy to follow instructions. Even the novice cook could feel confident giving them a try and would achieve good results. Some of the recipes clearly do require a large time investment, but others can be ready in minutes. I also liked that the recipes stated how long items would keep in the fridge, if you wanted to prepare them in advance.
I found the trickier and the international recipes very interesting, and how they were paired with the nabe. It seems like a very versatile style of cooking. And there really was something for everyone. Even a fussy eater would surely be happy with a hearty, warming chicken broth, shredded chicken, and the ability to pick and choose their own accompaniments.
All in all, I was very impressed by Simply Hot Pots. A gorgeous book, written in a comprehensible and personable style, and presenting me with a completely new cuisine – complete with must-have, niche kitchen equipment. I will absolutely be giving these recipes a try.

Well-written and very well produced but there is a 'degree of commitment required. 

You see each hot pot dish has as its base one of 12 homemade broths, some of which have a prerequisite homemade stock or require dashi. For pork dishes, the pork bone broth calls for a quantity of pigs trotters bashed with a mallet to release their marrow, and a commercial sized 29l pressure cooker. To be fair, the author does suggest making in 2 batches in a smaller cooker, though the largest domestic pressure cooker is an 8l.

Unsurprisingly, most dishes require Japanese ingredients, though the author proposes substitutes for the hard to obtain, e.g. watercress for chrysanthemum leaves.

I experimented by making the slow cooked beef brisket tomato nabe. This required a vegetable stock which went towards a tomato broth. Both were simple to make but required a bit of time and effort. The result was worth it, absolutely delicious with a depth of flavour. (I halved the quantities of all but the meat and had enough for 6 with lots of leftover broth and vegetables).

So, I feel that the quality of writing and production, and the results, merit 5 stars but I must also highlight the commitment required to produce a high quality result. It almost calls for a lifestyle choice, making up and freezing batches of broth. Once done, making up the recipes is indeed a simple one pot affair.

This is an excellent recipe book that im looking forward to adding to my collection and using. It takes you through the basics; from equipment to broths before showing a number of different meats and vegtable recipes. 
Each recipe gives a skill level, prep and cook time along with home many it feeds.

Beautiful photography and delicious recipes that will be a family favorite are just the beginning of this cookbook.  Well organized and thought out, home chefs will not be left in the cold looking for ingredients.  Amy explains the back ground and flavors of all the broths and sauces and what foods they pair well with, giving the reader a base to create their own dishes from.  The dishes are described with care and attention to detail but leave open the ability to play with the combinations to your own taste and location.  Substitutions are explained with each recipe that includes a difficult to find ingredient.  No matter if your town does not have an Asian market you can make any dish  in this book.  Such a wonderful chef, Amy Kimoto-Kahn has brought Asian home cooking to the American masses and continues to dazzle us.  I can not wait to make my own hot-pot.  Thank you for creating such a lovely book.

Simply Hot Pots breaks down these Japanese dishes in an easy to understand way. Amy Kimoto-Kahn walks you through the equipment and proper presentation. She then breaks down the recopies into section such as broths which is the first layer in a Hot Pot. As I Have a sweet tooth, my favorite section was the desserts and the yummy pictures.

The food look really delicious and beautifully presented. They look really healthy too. I might just dig that old crock pot out of the back of the cupboard and dust it off. All the reciepts look easy to follow and the ingredients are all known to me and readily available. No stone milled organic sumartran flax seeds. Just fresh meat and vegatables. yummy!

Interesting and informative resource book. It is evident that the author put a lot of effort into educating the readers about this subject. Highly recommend.

I love hot pots and love Japanese food more.  This is one of the easiest recipe books I have ever read and understood the method of preparing and making hot pots of all kinds.  Thank you for taking the time to put this book together.  It is going to be a hit.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not regurgitate the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it.


In Japan, hot pot cooking is called nabemono, or nabe, and cooked in donabe, traditional clay pots. Comforting, healthy, affordable, easy, and quick—especially when you make your broth bases in advance—these satisfying one-pot meals can be customized for anyone (including kids!).

Simply Hot Pots brings hot pot cooking to your table with a complete course of 75 recipes, including 15 base broths (from shabu-shabu to bone broths to creamy corn and tomato broths); pork, chicken, beef, seafood, spicy, vegetable, and specialty hot pot meals; dipping sauces; sides; and desserts. Amy Kimoto-Kahn, the best-selling author of Simply Ramen, shares recipes of traditional and non-traditional Japanese hot pots, along with East Asian hot pots with flavours from Mongolia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

You and your guests will love quickly cooking shabu-shabu–style meats, greens, mushrooms, onions, root and other vegetables, and tofu in the piping hot, savory broths, followed by a shime (end-of-meal course), when plump udon noodles, tender ramen noodles, or fluffy rice is placed into the leftover broth and simmered until warm and bursting with its delicious flavour.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and stunning photos, Simply Hot Pots will not only have your dinner table brimming with great food, but also great conversation.

I got this book this morning and ripped through it as I needed a dinner idea - and I found so many! Although my downloaded version of the e-book did not allow photos, the recipes seemed yummy and made me want to make them and see how they turned out. I have a feeling that I will be making most of the recipes in this book, even though I have not yet invested in a set of the "cool bowls" that they come in. 

A great book for cooks of any levels and those interested in seriously yummy food! It deserves a spot on every cook's cookbook shelf!

As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of Instagram and Twitter) so let's give it 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜