Sakura Nabe (Tokyo Horse Meat Hot Pot)

1. Prepare the dashi stock: Gently wipe kombu with a damp cloth. Place kombu in 1000g water and let soak for 30 minutes. Heat the water over medium heat until just before boiling. Remove kombu. Bring water to a boil, then turn off heat. Add katsuobushi, let it sink for 1 minute, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard katsuobushi.

2. Prepare vegetables and tofu: Peel daikon radish and carrots, then slice into thin rounds or half-moons. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms and score the caps. Trim the base of enoki mushrooms. Cut napa cabbage into bite-sized pieces. Drain firm tofu and cut into 2cm cubes. Slice scallions diagonally into 3cm lengths. Peel and finely julienne fresh ginger.

3. Prepare the nabe broth: In a separate pot, combine 600g of the prepared dashi stock, koikuchi soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer. In a small bowl, dissolve white miso paste with a ladleful of the warm broth until smooth, then stir it into the main broth. Keep warm.