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  7. Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas)

Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Akita Prefecture

    Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas)

Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas)

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  • Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas)
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  • Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas)

    Image source: Suzuwa Shop

  • Tenko azuki no Sekihan(Red Rice with Black-eyed Peas)

    Image Source: "Akita Kyomi Fudoki" (Akita Prefecture Agricultural Life Research Group Convention)

  • Main lore areas

    Nikaho City, Yokote-Hirika Area, Yuzawa Ogachi Area

  • Main ingredients used

    Glutinous rice, black-eyed peas, sugar, sake

  • History/origin/related events

    Akita's sekihan (red rice). Japan's sekihan culture has regional distinctions and cuisines; it is an indispensable food for auspicious days and celebrations. The origin of sekihan is said to be a relic from the ancient rice (akagome) that was offered to the gods, the ancestor to modern rice and a near-red color, or because red is used to dispel evil spirits. Until the Edo period, it was normal to eat ancient rice, but with technological developments in selective breeding, rice has transformed into its current-day strain. However, since the custom of offering red rice to the gods and then eating it was deeply ingrained, sekihan, white rice dyed with azuki beans, began to spread in the mid-Edo period.
    Akita has a dearly loved bean nicknamed "tenko azuki" (black-eyed pea), which is used there for sekihan. Akita's sekihan is also unique in that it uses sugar, which is different from typical sekihan. Black-eyed peas bleed color better than typical azuki beans, and because people dislike using the split hulls of azuki beans for the auspicious sekihan, they used black-eyed peas whose skin stays intact and doesn't easily split. The slightly purple-tinged color of sekihan made with black-eyed peas is unique to Akita. Sekihan is made without exception for Obon, New Year's, and important ceremonies in the family, and there is also the custom of eating it as "kokuhan" (black rice) on the sad occasions of observing the peaceful death of someone who has respectably lived their natural span of life.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    It has been passed on in celebrations and Buddhist memorial services. It has also come to be eaten as celebration of good harvest because of the Niiname Sai Festival on November 23, in which the Emperor offers newly harvested rice to the deities in order to pray for abundant crop.

  • How to eat

    Wash the glutinous rice, soak it overnight and then strain in a colander. Boil the black-eyed peas in plenty of water, and add water twice during the boiling process to smooth out wrinkles. Transfer the glutinous rice and boiled black-eyed peas to a large container, and after letting them soak for 30min in the boiled water, strain and steam in a steam cooker. Do not throw away the strained black-eyed pea water. Once steamed, transfer to a bowl, combine with salt, sugar, sake and the black-eyed pea water, and steam again for 20min.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    The production of black-eyed peas in Akita is decreasing year by year. Suzuwa Shop is their only contract cultivator in Akita Prefecture.

RECIPE

Ingredients (easy to make amount)

  • Glutinous rice 1.5kg
  • Black-eyed peas 80g
  • Salt a pinch
  • Sugar (add more or less depending on your preference) 40g
  • Sake 30cc

How to cook

  • 1. Wash the glutinous rice, soak it overnight and then strain in a colander.

  • 2. Boil the black-eyed peas in plenty of water, and add water twice during the boiling process to smooth out wrinkles.

  • 3. Transfer the glutinous rice from 1 into a large container, add 2 including the boiled water, and let soak for 30min. Strain the water and steam in a steam cooker. Do not throw away the strained black-eyed pea water.

  • 4. Once 3 has steamed for 40min, transfer to a bowl and add salt, sugar, sake and the 300cc of the strained black-eyed pea water which you saved, and combine. You can add more or less sugar, or no sugar at all, depending on your preferences.

  • 5. Steam 4 one more time for 20min, and the dish is finished.

provider : “Akita Kyomi(=local cuisine) Fudoki” (Akita Prefecture Rural Life Research Group Council)

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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