Table Setting #80
Chanko Nabe Time with the Ginpo White Kannyu Banko Donabe Japanese Clay Pot

Chanko nabe is the name for the clay pot dish that sumo wrestlers eat at their sumo stables.
But you don't have to be a sumo wrestler to enjoy this scrumptious stew filled with an array of vegetables and delicious seafood and meat. 
Use the Ginpo White Banko Donabe Japanese Clay Pot to entertain guests with this hearty and satisfying dinner. 

Contents 

• What is a Chanko nabe
• The colors of nature's bounty
• Flavorful side dishes
• Featured items

Points of This Table Setting

1. What is a chanko nabe

Even amongst Japanese natives, there seems to be a misconception of the word "chanko." The word "chanko" refers to any meal served at sumo stables to sumo wrestlers. 
So a meal served in a pot would be called a "chanko nabe" as nabe means pot. 

Unlike Shabu-shabu, all the ingredients are stewed inside the pot together at the table. The fun part of a "chanko nabe" is that there is no exact rule about what you have to put inside. The soup you use to cook the ingredients can be seasoned with salt, soy sauce, miso or even kimchee. 
For this "chanko nabe" we cooked a variety of vegetables, tofu, fillets of cod, shrimp, chicken and chicken meatballs. 
The Hibino Modern Shokado Bento Box is a great item to have to beautifully showcase fresh ingredients. 

2.  The colors of nature's bounty

We used a natural brown table cloth for this table setting.

We toned down the total color scheme of the table to have guests enjoy the appetizing colors of the ingredients against the clean white color of the donabe.
On a wooden tray, we used the subtle red plates and small bowls from Arita Porcelain Lab.  We added the Mizore Kutani Craft Guinomi Sake glasses for a bit of shine on the table to drink cold sake with the chanko nabe. 

3.  Flavorful side dishes

A donabe dinner is fun and filling and easy to serve. But if you are entertaining guests, it might be nice to add a couple of small side dishes to have your guests refresh their palettes. 
Use small sauce dishes in different shapes and sizes or even a glass sake cup to serve side dishes like pickled radish and pumpkin salad. 

Besides the fact the it's a delicious meal set in a beautiful piece of tableware, a chanko nabe is a balanced and healthy menu filled with vitamins from vegetables and protein from meat and seafood.
Sit down with your guests and enjoy this donabe dinner together, and get ready for the coming cold season. 

Featured Item

Ginpo White Banko Donabe Japanese Clay Pot

In 1932, Sutematsu Kumamoto built a factory to realize high quality manufacturing.
In the midst of hardships and challenges, he listened to the voices of users and continued to develop earthenware pots that matched people's lifestyles. Commitment to quality is at the core of Ginpo's philosophy of manufacturing products. His products continue to bring smiles to diners around the world.