Skip to main content.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Character Size
Standard
Large
Menu
  1. Home
  2. Policies
  3. Food Export
  4. kyodo_ryori
  5. SEARCH&MENU
  6. Oita
  7. Aimaze

Aimaze ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Oita Prefecture

    Aimaze

Aimaze

＊画像はイメージです（掲載画像とレシピの内容は異なる場合があります）。
Related images
Please refer to “Links and Copyrights” for information on secondary use of images.(Term of use)

Image Source : Oita Prefecture

  • Main lore areas

    Taketa City

  • Main ingredients used

    Tofu, dried daikon radish slices, fern shoots, and dried shiitake mushrooms

  • History/origin/related events

    Taketa City, located in the southwestern part of Oita Prefecture, is an area rich in nature surrounded by the Kuju Mountain Range, the Aso Gairin Mountains, and the foothills of Mount Sobo. The city is situated along the Onogawa River, a first-class river, and boasts a group of springs said to produce tens of thousands of tons of water per day.
    “Aimaze” is an indispensable part of meals in the Kuju district of Taketa City. “Aimaze” is stir-fried vegetables mixed with grated tofu. It’s similar to shiraae salad because it’s dressed with tofu, but it differs in that it uses plenty of mountain vegetables such as fern shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and dried daikon radish slices. It’s said that the name “aimaze” comes from the fact that both the ingredients and the tofu are seasoned (ajitsuke suru) and mixed (mazeru) together. Dishes with the same name have been passed down in Mie Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture, but these refer to “Ninamasu”' and “vegetables dressed with sesame vinegar,” and are completely different from the “aimaze” of Oita Prefecture.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    As a hospitality dish for ceremonial occasions, “Aimaze” was always served at meals. There are no rules about the ingredients used, and there are a wide range of variations using seasonal vegetables and mountain vegetables that can be harvested nearby. Therefore, the appearance and seasoning of the dish differ greatly from house to house. In times when sugar was precious, “aimaze” served on special occasions was a luxurious delicacy because it used plenty of sugar for flavor. Also, sweet sake was sometimes used instead of sugar to bring out the sweet flavor.

  • How to eat

    Cut dried shiitake mushrooms and carrots into thin strips, and boil them together with fern shoots and dried daikon radish slices in dashi stock and soy sauce. Grind the tofu in a mortar while adding salt and sugar, and finally mix it with the other ingredients. If you drain the water well before grinding the tofu, it will become sticky when you grind it, making it easier to mix.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    Even today it’s an indispensable dish for Buddhist ceremonies, but the sweetness is milder these days.

source : Oita Dietary Life Improvement Promotion Council

RECIPE

Ingredients (for 4 people)

  • fern shoots 30g
  • block tofu 1／2
  • medium dried shiitake mushrooms 3
  • dried daikon radish 30g
  • slice of konjac 1／2
  • carrots 30g
  • red pickled ginger a little
  • roasted sesame seeds 4 tbsp
  • Salad oil as needed
  • [A] dashi stock a little
  • [A] soy sauce a little
  • [A] sugar a little
  • [B] soy sauce 1.5 tbsp
  • [B] mirin sweet rice wine 1 tbsp
  • [B] sugar 1 tbsp
  • [C] salt 1／2 tsp
  • [C] sugar 15g
  • [C] salt A little

How to cook

  • 1. Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms and dried daikon slices in water. Parboil the konjac.

  • 2. Roast the sesame seeds until the oil comes out.

  • 3. Stir-fry the fern shoots (which have been soaked overnight in the water they were boiled in) in oil, season with Seasoning A, and cut into easy-to-eat pieces.

  • 4. Cut the shiitake mushrooms, carrots and konjac into strips.

  • 5. Cut the rehydrated daikon radish into easy-to-eat pieces.

  • 6. Boil the shiitake mushrooms, carrots, dried daikon radish, and konjac in Seasoning B until the liquid reduces.

  • 7. Add the tofu, previously boiled and drained, to the ground sesame seeds and mix well.

  • 8. Adjust the flavor with Seasoning C.

  • 9. Add the ingredients and mix.

  • 10. Place in a bowl and decorate with red pickled ginger.

provider : “The Local Cuisine of Oita We Want to Pass on to the Next Generation”
Recipe image provided by : Oita Prefecture

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

Top of This Page

MAFF Social Media

  • MAFF Facebook
  • MAFF YouTube

MAFF

Address : 1-2-1,Kasumigaseki,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100-8950,Japan.

TEL : 03-3502-8111

Enterprise identification number : 5000012080001

Copyright : Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries