In this video, I join my coauthor Tadashi in the Matsuri kitchen to demonstrate a few incredibly versatile and useful Japanese knife techniques (please note the video starts in black for 5 seconds). If nothing else, hold your knife like Tadashi does, and you'll dramatically improve your slicing mojo.

On page 33 of the book we explain how to make napa cabbage-spinach rolls, which help your hot pot in two ways: they add a delightful flourish to your dish, and, since the rolls are precooked, speed up the preparation process. We love using these rolls in our hot pots -- in addition to the recipes where we call for them, try substituting them for napa cabbage in other dishes. In the video above, we walk you through how to prepare them -- they're easy, give 'em a try!

This gorgeous hot pot, Mizutaki, is one of our favorites, a rustic dish that hails from Hakata, an old section of the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka. It's simple, down-to-earth and a snap to prepare (like all hot pots!). We mean, it's chicken in chicken broth, how fundamental is that? Accent with a condiment called yuzu kosho to add citrusy, peppery notes, and you're set. Here is the full version of the clip we posted earlier, of Tadashi and I walking you through cooking this dish. Note that we're using an enameled cast iron pot like Le Creuset, which is a perfect cooking vessel for hot pots...

Here we explain how to think about quantities when preparing hot pot, using one of our favorite dishes, Hakata Chicken Hot Pot, as an example. We also talk about one of the key aspects of Japanese cooking -- knife work -- explaining why you need to cut vegetables and other ingredients in particular, but very simple, ways. This hot pot, called Tori Mizutaki in Japanese, is a mainstay of the city of Fukuoka on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. Check out page 95 for the recipe.

In this video, we demonstrate how to cook one of Japan's most popular hot pots, called Ishikari Nabe. Salmon is the star of this dish, which originated in Ishikari port on the far northern island of Hokkaido. Every year, salmon return to this area to swim up the Ishikari river to spawn, and for generations, local fishermen have been harvesting these glorious fish -- and cooking them in this hot pot. Please check out page 55 in our book for the full recipe. Enjoy!