History
Chanko-nabe traces to the Tokyo sumo stable cuisine of the late-Meiji era, but the Hakata form took on a regional spin in the 1980s and 1990s as motsunabe rooms expanded into multi-protein hotpots in winter. Today some Hakata izakaya run the chanko version through January and February. It is a rare crossover dish; the canonical Hakata hotpot remains motsunabe or mizutaki.
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Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Common allergens: Soy, Fish, Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g chicken thigh, cut in 3cm
- 300g pork belly, sliced thin
- 200g fish balls, store-bought
- 800g shredded cabbage
- 200g daikon, sliced
- 400g udon noodles, for the finish
- 1.2L dashi
- 100g white miso
- 30ml shoyu
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 15g ginger, sliced
- Garlic chives, to finish
Method
- Whisk miso and shoyu into the dashi. Bring to a bare simmer in a heavy casserole or clay pot.
- Add ginger and garlic. Layer cabbage at the base, then chicken, pork, fish balls, daikon.
- Cover and simmer 25 minutes until the cabbage softens and the proteins cook through.
- Top with garlic chives. Serve from the pot to small bowls.
- When two-thirds eaten, drop the udon into the remaining broth and cook 5 minutes.
Tip from the editors. The miso must be white miso for a clean Hakata flavour; red miso turns this into a Nagoya dish.
Where to eat hakata sumo chanko
Hakata sumo chanko in Fukuoka
Hakata Motsunabe Yamanaka Akasaka ★ 4.6
Yamanaka invented miso-style motsunabe in 1984. The Akasaka branch is the most central of three Fukuoka outlets and the easiest reservation.
OrderMiso motsunabe for two with the champon noodle close.
TipReserve a day ahead for dinner. Closes between 14:30 and 17:00 for the afternoon break.
Motsunabe Rakutenchi Tenjin So-Honten ★ 4.5
Rakutenchi's Tenjin flagship: three floors and 240 horigotatsu seats, the largest motsunabe room in Kyushu. Soy-sauce base, mountain of garlic chives.
OrderPuripuri motsu daimanzoku course with all-you-can-eat champon noodles.
TipOpen daily 17:00-24:00. Reserve through the operator's site or by phone.
More places to eat in Fukuoka
Not on this list, but among the highest we score in this city. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Kasanoya Umegae Mochi Japanese, our score 4.6
- Maki no Udon Hakata Bus Terminal Japanese, our score 4.0
More cities are in research. Want hakata sumo chanko covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.