Genre-defining dango dish
Have you ever heard of Oita's “Dango-jiru”?
Traditionally, the word dango conjures the image of soft, round dumpling balls made from rice flour. However, the dango in dango-jiru is different.
It's a flat udon-like kind of wheat noodles.
Today I will introduce the history of dango-jiru. I'll also include a simple recipe so be sure to stick around till the end.
Since ages ago, Oita has been known as one of Japan's most prominent breadbaskets.
Made up mostly of plateaus, Oita's topography doesn't really lend itself to rice cultivation. So it's not surprising that rice fields aren't the most common here.
When I came to Beppu, I was surprised because I didn't see any rice fields! This was shocking for someone like me who comes from a prefecture where you can't take two steps without running into one (Saitama).
As a result, the prefecture turned to wheat. This explains why flour-based foods, including dango-jiru, are so prevalent in the diet of people in Oita.
Now onto the fun part, the recipe
【Ingredients】
・White radish
・Carrots
・Shiitake
・Yaseuma noodles (available in supermarkets.)
・Miso
・Water
【Time】
20min
【Instructions】
1. Cut radish and carrots into quarters
Slice your shiitake
2. Boil/steam vegetables until desired tenderness
3. Add Yaseuma
4. Season with Miso
* Or any kind of seasoning you prefer.
Personally I like to add ginger and bonito dashi.
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