Chanko stew is a very heavy dish that most people associate with sumo wrestlers. The high protein and high caloric content of these pots are perfect for putting on the bulk or just to warm your bones on a cold winter’s day. Chanko is also known to be rather pricey due to the bounty of ingredients used. That’s why most people would probably steer clear of Chankoya Suzukichan and its reputation as “a restaurant frequented by celebrities” for fear of breaking the bank.
But now, thanks to (oddly enough) the convenience store Family Mart’s online shopping site, we could get a taste of the high-life delivered straight to our door. So we did.
We purchased one Chankoya Suzukichan Shio Chanko (salt chanko) and one Chankoya Suzukichan Kaisen Miso Chanko (seafood miso chanko) for 4,800 yen (US$46) each. The price looks high by itself but when you see all of the ingredients laid out, pre-cut, and ready to simmer it feels like a bargain.
Chankoya Suzukichan, run by TV personality and writer Osamu Suzuki, selects all of the ingredients carefully such as the Hanamidori (chicken) of Kyushu Prefecture and Oimobuta (pork).
Our reporter first tried the salt chanko and didn’t regret it. It had a deep savor that held all of the meat and vegetables together. It wasn’t just good, it truly surpassed regular soups on the market. An original creation of Chankoya Suzukichan, it revolutionized how our reporter saw soup.
The miso soup with added seafood like Hokkaido hotate (scallops) had a thicker and more hearty feel to it – perfect to warm up the body. The beautiful part about having restaurant caliber food in your own home is that you can tweak it to your liking if you feel so bold. Our reporter envisioned adding some udon noodles or perhaps egg and rice for an extra savory porridge.
That would have to wait for next time, however. Even at such a steep price we can’t help but feel tempted to try some again. They recommend one set for three people, but even a lone diner can feel motivated to polish one off. Whether they’d succeed is another story… for Mr. Sato perhaps.
Source: Chankoya Suzukichan Chankonabe (Family Mart)
Images: RocketNews24
Original report by Nakano
[ Read in Japanese ]
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