Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot

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Welcome to the first step on my quest to cook all the dishes from the smash super MEGA hit, Dungeon Meshi!  Just remember, this is a BLOG. Not a cookbook.  I'll go through my cooking steps but I don't have a recipe.  That shouldn't stop you from hitting me up with questions though.  Let's get this Dungeon Party started!  

HOT POT! Scream these two words together and people will come running to your door.  Hot Pot is an instant party starter.  Even in the Dog Days of Summer you are guaranteed a crowd if you offer a hot pot. But a hot pot of huge scorpion and walking mushrooms?  The answer is yes. An enthusiastic YES!


For better or worse (mostly worse) I live in a world with no giant scorpions and certainly no walking mushrooms so what to do?  Am I doomed to fail my attempt to cook the dishes from Dungeon Meshi before I even begin?  Of course not!  Just like our beloved adventurers all we need is a little imagination and out appetites.  Let's start by looking at the original finished product.


Okay, so not only do we need Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom we also need Slime.  Even though I am a proud slime I'm not tasty so I will not be part of this hot pot.  Thankfully these ingredients look a lot like lobster tails, normal non-walking mushrooms and tofu.  Our hot pot will be the king of hot pots...SEAFOOD HOT POT!  So bring everything we need together for a basic hot pot.

I'm sorry, Senshi, but I'm not living in a dungeon and have access to stores.  But what am I making my hot pot out of if not monster?

  1. Lobster Tail-2
  2. Soy Sauce
  3. Mirin
  4. Oyster Sauce
  5. Sesame Oil
  6. So Many Scallops
  7. Shrimps
  8. Garlic
  9. Tofu
  10. Udon Noodles
  11. Shiitake Mushrooms
  12. Blue Oyster Mushrooms
  13. Edamame
  14. Assorted Veggie Mix & Bok Choy
So many ingredients!  Where to start?

First The Lobster!  Two things to remember. First, you DON'T have to fish them out of a wall.  



They are normally at any seafood section. Unless you live near the sea and you can just walk out and grab one, I guess?
Second, you got a lobster, you got a magnet. Lobster has antennae but don't you grab it.  This is unimportant to the hot pot but everyone needs to know basic lobster wisdom. 

So pretty. So smelly.

The mushrooms?  You have no idea how much I could just pick a giant walking mushroom up as you shuffled by.

Nope....nope we have to drive to the local farmer's market for the typical Farmer's Market Mushroom Starter Pack.  Also known as Blue Oyster and Shitake.


*sigh* If only they had legs. Alas.  Not liking what you're seeing?  No worries! Use whatever mushrooms you want in your soup.  These just happen to be some of my favorites but Button mushrooms or maybe even Lion's Mane could work?

Finally, the Slime.  Once again we don't have to wait to nearly be suffocated by a random slime like certain mages.
Packets of Odon and normal firm tofu will do nicely.  As a Slime myself I'm a little thankful I didn't have to resort to cannibalism.  Real slimes just don't look as cute as my kind but that's neither here nor there.


Now the have the basics LET'S GET COOKING!  How to start?  Maybe a tablespoon or two of Sesame Oil.  Heat that in a LARGE pot.  The bigger the better.  You are going to put so much stuff in here that you don't want to worry about space near the end.  Another thing to keep in mind is this all comes together quick.  This isn't a set it and forget it soup.  Nope, you'll be done in lickety speed.  

What to put into the oil?  How about three to four diced cloves of garlic and a little bit of ginger?  Oh...what a wonderful smell.

Oh, that's the stuff.  Aromatic. Cook this in a dungeon and you'll have so many other adventurers show up at your camp.  Have this all going on medium heat for 4 minutes.  And then it's liquids time!  Every good hot pot needs a broth so let's go 4 cups of water, maybe a cup of mirin and fourth cup of soy sauce?  That's what I did.  You can do what you want, though.  It's the broth so it's to your tastes.


 Swim my pretties. Nows a good time to cook the Udon (slime) in a separate bowl.  Takes about ten minutes so you can add it to the hot pot when all is said and done.  Let all this bubble together for another 4 to 5 minutes?  Now your campsite should be smelling grand.  Which brings use to the veggies!
Hit that broth with the Shrimps, the Scallops, the Veggies.  Whatever else you want to add.  Just let them all bubble and boil up.  Seafood cooks fast so give it another 5 to 6 minutes.  When you're ready, it's lobster & mushroom time!


Remember, this is a Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot.  The main players wait till the last minutes to make their appearance.  That's how important they are.  Little fun tip, give the lobster tails a little push down into the broth.  That'll give you the nice red color.


Last but in my personal opinion, not least...the tofu!  Just dump those slime down in there.  Serve the finished udon into bowls and serves the broth over them.  I ate the lobster tails separately but you could cut them up and put the meat into soup as well.


Verdict: Success!  I'm very happy with how this turned out.  The flavor of the broth was deep and satisfying and it actually looks like the manga photo.  Which we all know is the only reason to cook, right?


And there you have it.  The Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Hot Pot. What do you think?  I'm thinking I'm off to a good start ^^. I hope you'll join me every two weeks or so for a new cooking adventure.  It's more fun to walk to the bottom of a dungeon with friends so let me know what you think!



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