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. Akita
  7. Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)

Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Akita Prefecture

    Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)

Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)

＊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)
  • Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)

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

  • Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)
    DOWNLOAD

    Image source: Mitane Town

  • Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)
    DOWNLOAD

    Image source: Mitane Town

  • Main lore areas

    Northwestern Akita

  • Main ingredients used

    Junsai (=water shield), chicken, gobou(=burdock), Japanese leek, Seri(=Japanese parsley) , mushrooms, tofu, konjac(=yam cake) noodle

  • History/origin/related events

    "Junsai nabe" is a one-pot dish in which a large amount of junsai is added along with chicken, gobou(=burdock), and other ingredients. "Junsai" is characterized by its smooth and juicy texture, and it goes very well with chicken. Having an abundant amount of junsai in the pot is the local specialty. "Junsai", often called “watershield” in English, grows in freshwater marshes and ponds. It is a perennial aquatic plant and is from the water lily family with round leaves floating on the surface of the water. The bright green leaves grow from spring to summer, and the jelly-like shoots that emerge from the stems are eaten. In Japan, it used to grow wild in many places, and in Akita Prefecture, it was growing wild in "Kakusuke-numa" in the town of Mitane. It has been called "nunawa" (swamp rope) in the region, because it grows long and thin like a rope in the swamp. People have eaten junsai for a long time, but environmental changes have reduced its native areas. The local people began to cultivate and maintain the "junsai" swamp with the passion to save their precious foodstuff. Now, the town of Mitane has become one of the largest producers of "junsai" in Japan. Even today, "junsai" are carefully hand-picked one by one on a little boat, which has become a summer tradition in the town of Mitane.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    This pot dish is eaten May to August during the junsai harvest season. In Akita, it is popular as a summer pot dish.

  • How to eat

    Put chicken broth, locally grown chicken, gobou(=burdock), and Japanese parsley in a pot and bring to a boil. When everything is cooked, add junsai and sevve. Overcooking may spoil the delicious texture of "junsai".

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)
    An event called the "World Junsai Picking Championship" is held every year in late June or early July. Also, at some of the tourist farms in the town of Mitane, visitors can experience picking "junsai" from May to August.
    "Junsai" can be purchased from May to August at stores and farm stands in the town. Preserved boiled "junsai" can be purchased throughout the year.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Junsai (=water shield) as desired amount
  • Locally grown chicken 300g
  • Chicken bones 1 whole chicken carcass
  • Seri (=Japanese parsley) 150g
  • Japanese leek 3 sticks
  • Gobou(=burdock) 150g
  • Mushrooms in season 200g
  • Konjac(=yam cake) noodle 200g
  • Tofu half pack
  • Soy sauce 60cc
  • Sake a little

How to cook

  • 1. Make plenty broth with chicken bone (about 800 cc).

  • 2. ring the broth to a boil, and add the bite-size pieces of chicken and gobou(=burdock) and simmer until cooked through.

  • 3. When cooked, scoop out the scum, add soy sauce, and add sake as a secret ingredient.

  • 4. Cook the konjac(=yam cake) noodle and mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the Japanese leeks, seri (Japanese parsley), and tofu.

  • 5. Finally, add only the portion of junsai you want, and when the color turns green, serve it in a bowl with the ingredients.

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

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