Drop Lids or "Otoshibuta" in Japanese are the essential kitchen item you probably never knew you needed but if you like making stews or various Japanese or Korean dishes at home and starting to wonder how they could be even better then read on to find out.
This deceivingly conventional looking kitchen tool is actually "dropped" inside the pot (hence the name) despite being a lid as it is going to need to be just slightly smaller than your pot in order to fit inside. These work extremely effectively to produce unforgettable flavors and textures in your meals by holding down the ingredients, keeping them from falling apart and allowing the juices to soak in well. As there is now much less space inside the pot between the lid and food inside, cooking time is considerably reduced and the distribution of the heat is properly balanced, ensuring you end up with a flood of compliments from your amazed table guests.
Below are two types of drop lids that both work very well and have different features so choose the one that best fits your situation.
The Wooden Drop Lid
This is the traditional version of the drop lid and will definitely still get the job done today with flying colors. Try it and impress your table with the flavors of your old home cooked stews suddenly taken to new surprising delicious levels!
Shop Link for Wooden Drop Lid：
https://tikusan.net/products/tikusan-wooden-cooking-drop-lid-otoshibuta
The Adjustable Metal Drop Lid
As you can see this cleverly designed modern variation of the original drop lid is adjustable so if you want to buy just one drop lid for your various pot sizes, this might be the best one for you. It also features holes for the steam to escape to compensate for the metal material which obviously gets very hot. The lid can be lifted by the ring located in the middle of the product as again it will get hot and definitely cannot be touched directly. This design will also get the job done in folds and result in getting epic flavors out of your stew recipes.
Shop Link for Adjustable Drop Lid：
https://tikusan.net/products/tikusan-adjustable-cooking-drop-lid-otoshibuta-free-size
Drop Lid for NIKUJAGA
You can use a drop lid to make nikujaga, an iconic and awesome Japanese meat (niku) and potato (jagaimo) stew that you will crave forever after your first bite. If you haven’t had it yet, trust us, it’s the good stuff and it'll be even better with a drop lid!
Below is a recipe you can use to get a taste of real Japanese home-cooking.
Everything You’ll Need
Timer (Apps work great but just don’t spill anything on your precious smartphone!)
Thinly sliced pork or beef (200g)
Konjac noodles (100g)
Sake (50ml)
Snow peas (10)
Soy sauce
Mirin (50ml)
White Onion (1)
Potatoes (3)
Carrot (1)
Vegetable oil (1 tsp)
Dashi (400ml)
Light Brown Sugar (1 tbsp)
- Cut peeled potatoes into small chunks that are about the same size.
- Soak them in a bowl of cold water to remove the excess starch.
- Peel carrot then cut into chunky pieces that are about the same size.
- Peel onion and cut into wedges.
- Slice your pork or beef into small pieces.
- Heat a pot on the medium setting of your stove.
- After it is ready, pour in a teaspoon of vegetable oil.
- Fry pork or beef until the surfaces are browned.
- Drop in your cut up onion.
- Stir fry for about 1 minute.
- Drop the potatoes and carrots into the pot and now stir and mix everything together in the pot.
- Pour in dashi.
- Bring your mixture to a boil before proceeding to the next step.
- Pour in the sake, mirin, and a tablespoon of light brown sugar.
- Lower the heat down to the simmer level setting.
- Now it’s time to try out your brand new drop lid! Put in your drop lid on top of the ingredients and set your timer for the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes.
- A few minutes before the timer goes off, boil the konjac noodles in a separate pan for about 3 minutes.
- Drain the noodles.
- Once the timer goes off, remove the drop lid and add your konjac noodles.
- Add 40 ml of soy sauce.
- Do not mix anything yet with a cooking spoon or cooking chopsticks and just kind of use the handle of the pot to slightly tilt it from side to side and get the soy sauce mixing around on its own.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes with the drop lid on.
- Prepare your snow peas and blanch for a minute in a different pot.
- Drain snow peas then cut into little pieces at a diagonal angle.
- Take off the drop lid then with a ladle or spoon, scoop up the broth.
- Drizzle and loosely pour the broth over the veggies coming out at the top of the liquid in the pot.
- Bring your mixture again to a simmering heat level.
- Now add an extra 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Move the pan around again to let the soy sauce flow around in the pot.
- Let it continute to simmer for 3 or so minutes until you think the soup tastes good. Adding more drops of soy sauce may be necessary depending on your preferences.
- Now you are ready to serve up some ultra satisfying nikujaga in a bowl.
- Garnish the dish with your cut up snow peas by dropping some around the middle on top of the nikujaga.
That's it. We hope you enjoy having real home-cooking from Japan at your own dinner table!