Mazemeshi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Kumamoto Prefecture

Mazemeshi

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Image Source : Mariko Morita of Shokei College, Department of Life Science

Main lore areas

All of Kumamoto Prefecture
Main ingredients used

Rice, chicken, dried shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, gobou(=burdock), carrots, etc.

History/origin/related events

"Mazemeshi" is a dish that always appears at local events and celebrations where people gather. Also called "Gumeshi", it is made by chopping and stir-frying ingredients such as chicken, gobou(=burdock), carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, fried thin tofu, etc., seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, and mixed with freshly cooked warm rice. Ingredients vary from region to region and from household to household, such as konjac(=yam cake) and "kamaboko(=fish cake)", sea bream and maki mussels in areas near the sea, and plenty of daikon radish during the daikon radish harvest season. Rokka Shrine in Shimorokka, Kashima Town, holds an annual autumn festival on October 17 to pray for a bountiful harvest, during which each household makes "Gumeshi (Mazemeshi)" and serves it to gathered relatives and neighbors. Instead of chicken, it uses horse meat, a specialty of the prefecture, and seasonal vegetables such as gobou(=burdock), dried shiitake mushrooms, konjac(=yam cake), and carrots, which are stir-fried and seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, and mixed with white rice.
The "Shishimai" dedicated at this festival is the first important intangible cultural asset in Kumamoto Prefecture, and is derived from Kiyomasa Kato's tiger hunting, and depicts a child growing up to become a warrior and bravely fighting a lion. On Tobase Island, located halfway between the Uto Peninsula and Amakusa, there is a mixed rice dish called "birin meshi" that uses tofu instead of meat. The name comes from the sound made when the tofu is stir-fried to remove the water. It was served at Buddhist ceremonies as a vegetarian dish.
Opportunities and times of eating habits

Rice dishes are indispensable for local events and celebrations where people gather. It appears at autumn festivals and is eaten throughout the year, with ingredients such as wild vegetables and mushrooms changing with the seasons.
How to eat

It is delicious not only when freshly cooked and mixed with warm rice, but also when cold, so it can be used as onigiri (rice balls), inarizushi (sushi rice balls), or even as a bento lunch box.
Each household has its own way of enjoying the dish, such as pouring tea over the rice and making chazuke (boiled rice in soup). The ingredients before mixing with rice can be made in large quantities and frozen, then heated and used only for the portion to be eaten.
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)
In addition to being served at community events, it is also served at school lunches in elementary and junior high schools. When serving "birin meshi" at school lunches, the company arranges it in consideration of children's nutritional needs by adding chicken meat as well as tofu.

RECIPE

Ingredients (5-6 servings)

Rice 4 1／2 cups
Dashi kombu (=kelp) 10cm
Chicken thigh meat 100g
dried shiitake mushrooms (soak) 4
Dried bamboo shoots (soak) 100g
Gobou (=burdock) 50g
Carrot (medium) 5cm
Green beans 5
Dashi (=Japanese soup stock) As needed
Eggs (thinly sliced) 2
[Seasoning A] Soy sauce 3 tbsp.
[Seasoning A] Sugar 1 1／2 tbsp.
[Seasoning A] Mirin(=sweet rice wine) 1 tbsp.
[Seasoning A] Sake 1 tbsp.
[Seasoning A] Salt A little
[Seasoning B] Sake 1 tbsp.
[Seasoning B] Sugar 2 tbsp.
[Seasoning B] Salt 1／5 tsp.

How to cook

1. Wash rice 1 hour before cooking, wipe clean, add kombu which wiped clean, and cook until firm, using 10% more water.
2. Cut chicken into small pieces. Cut shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots into 2 cm pieces, and gobou into shaved.
3. Put Dashi in a pot, add [seasoning A], bring to a boil, and add [2].Cook for 5 or 6 minutes to infuse the flavor.
4. Cut carrots into julienne, cut green beans diagonally into thin strips, and boil.
5. Break an egg into pieces, season with [seasoning B], and make thinly fried eggs. Cool and cut into thin strips.
6. When the rice is cooked, remove the kombu and steam for 12 to 13 minutes.
7. Transfer the rice to a bowl and mix in [3] and [4] (draining off the liquid).
8. Serve in bowls and garnish with a thinly fried egg.

provider : “Kumamoto Prefecture Hometown Recipes, Volume 1”

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

Mazemeshi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Kumamoto Prefecture

Mazemeshi

Main lore areas

Main ingredients used

History/origin/related events

Opportunities and times of eating habits

How to eat

Efforts for Preservation and Succession

RECIPE

Ingredients (5-6 servings)

How to cook