The season for the local dish "dashi" has arrived! We'll introduce a wide variety of recipes to arrangements. [Yamagata Prefecture]

Do you know Dashi, a traditional local dish from Yamagata Prefecture

Dashi is a nutritious pickled dish made with plenty of vegetables such as cucumbers and eggplants. It is surprisingly easy to eat even when you don't have much of an appetite or your stomach is weak, so it is a very handy food to have on hand

Dashi is delicious when simply poured over rice, but it's also recommended to try it in different ways. It's a delicious way to make up for a lack of vegetables, and can even be called a " salad to pour over ," so be sure to enjoy it to your heart's content.

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What is Yamagata Prefecture's local dish "Dashi"?

Dashi is a local dish that is a staple of summer in Yamagata Prefecture. It is characterized by its rich flavor, which comes from chopped vegetables coated in a sticky soy sauce

Summer is the peak season for agriculture. It is said that this dish was born from the wisdom of the home, as it is a dish that can be quickly prepared even when you are busy. Nowadays, with the advancement of agricultural technology, vegetables are available all year round, so it is made all year round, not just in summer

The basic ingredients for dashi are summer vegetables, aromatic vegetables, and kelp. Cucumber and eggplant are summer vegetables that contain a lot of water. Green shiso and myoga are added to the dashi, and kelp, which adds umami and stickiness, is also added, and the dashi is pickled in soy sauce. Another great thing about this dish is that it can be made without cooking. As it provides water, minerals, and salt, it is a dish that can be expected to help prevent summer fatigue and heatstroke

Each household has its own unique way of dividing up seasonings, choosing ingredients, and how to cut ingredients. There is no right answer, or should we say that all of them are correct? It's full of the fun that only home cooking can offer

Incidentally, there are various theories about the origin of the name "dashi." One theory is that it comes from the fact that it brings out the flavor of other ingredients, like "dashi" (soup stock), another theory is that it comes from the act of "putting out" vegetables by finely chopping them, and another theory is that it comes from the fact that it can be "served" quickly on the table

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Even if you're lazy or not good at cooking, you can make this! Introducing easy "dashi" recipes

In recent years, commercialized dashi has become available in supermarkets outside of Yamagata Prefecture, but dashi is still a home-cooked dish, so of course you can make it at home too

You might be thinking, "Huh, chopping vegetables seems like a lot of work..." In that case, I recommend using a chopper or a food processor. Once you have the ingredients ready, you can make it in no time

The materials and procedures will be explained

The ingredients and seasonings are as follows:

• 2 eggplants
• 1 cucumber
• 3 pieces of myoga ginger
• 5 green shiso leaves
• A pinch of chopped kelp
• Mentsuyu (noodle soup base)

Chop the above ingredients into chunks and place them in a chopper. If you are concerned about the bitterness of the eggplant, place it in the chopper after removing the bitterness

Chop it into small pieces. I used a manual chopper with a pull string to chop it into the shape shown in the picture

Mix it with the noodle soup and once the flavors have blended, it's ready

If you chop the ingredients finely, they will soak faster. They will be ready to eat in about 15 minutes, but to allow the flavors to blend better, it is recommended to let them sit overnight. If you chop the ingredients roughly, it will take longer for the flavors to blend, but the texture will be crispy and enjoyable. There is no correct answer, so adjust to your liking

By the way, the classic way to eat dashi is to pour it over rice. The marinade soaks into the hot rice, creating a refreshing taste that will make you want to have seconds. If you have eggplant or cucumber that you haven't finished yet, try making dashi. You'll find that the eggplant and cucumber will be gone in no time

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Eliminate the lack of vegetables! Introducing recipes using dashi

Dashi is an excellent accompaniment to rice, but there are actually many other ways to eat it. Why not try using dashi, which allows you to eat plenty of vegetables, to add variety to your meals? Here are some easy recipe variations

Topping for tofu or natto

The second most popular way to eat it is as a topping for tofu or natto. The soy sauce, which is packed with the refreshing flavor of aromatic vegetables, goes perfectly with tofu and natto. It's easy to eat even when you don't have much of an appetite

Serve with cold noodles

Just like adding condiments to soba or udon, adding dashi is also a nice touch. I tried topping some somen noodles with dashi, grated daikon radish, and flying fish roe (Kaneka Sea Foods' "Pucchinkokko"), then pouring mentsuyu over them. This adds a fun texture and boosts the nutritional value. It adds a twist to simple cold noodle dishes that can easily get boring

It can also be served with meat such as cold shabu-shabu or chicken ham

You want to eat meat, but you don't have the appetite. In such cases, why not try adding dashi to your meat?

It's easy to imagine that meat and herbs go well together. The dashi stock, which is infused with the umami of herbs, pairs perfectly with meat. It's not only delicious, but also has a nice "elaborate" feel to it, which is a nice touch. Once you try it, you'll be hooked, so give it a try

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summary

This time, we focused on Yamagata Prefecture's local dish " dashi " and introduced some easy recipes and ways to eat it.

Dashi is easy to eat even when you don't have much of an appetite, and it's convenient to have on hand. Dashi is a local dish packed with household wisdom, and its appeal is that it can be made quickly. If you're looking for a good idea to make up for a lack of vegetables, or to enjoy a meal that's a little different from usual, be sure to try dashi! You'll definitely become addicted to the charms of dashi

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