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Shoyu-meshi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

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  • Ehime Prefecture

    Shoyu-meshi

Shoyu-meshi

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  • Main lore areas

    Matsuyama Area

  • Main ingredients used

    Rice, Soy sauce, Gobou(=Burdock root), Carrots, etc.

  • History/origin/related events

    Since the Muromachi period (1333-1573), stir-fried soy sauce rice has been called "Shouyu meshi" and has been a popular local dish for celebrations and other occasions. It has been handed down in the Matsuyama area since ancient times. As it is a simple dish made with ingredients that common people had at hand, it was often made to entertain guests when they came to visit. It can be enjoyed throughout the year by adding seasonal ingredients such as Butterbur and Bamboo shoots in the spring, and Taro, Chestnuts, and Ginkgo nuts in the fall. These days, seafood and chicken are often added, while the traditional "Shoyu-meshi" is made mainly with vegetables and dried fried Tofu, which provides vegetable protein and at the same time gives it a rich and very tasty flavor.
    In the 1950s, a Bento(Lunch box) store in the town of Matsumae rearranged this recipe to create the "Shoyu-meshi” Bento box. The rich, soy-sauce flavored rice is fluffy and tasty even when cold, and the rice is topped with Chicken, Lotus root, Shiitake Mushrooms, Bamboo shoots, Royal ferns, and other vegetables that have been simmered in soup stock, making it a nutritious and satisfying meal for commuters to pick up at the station.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    A local dish of the Matsuyama area since ancient times, it is a celebratory dish made with vegetables of the season, such as Gobou(=Burdock root) and Carrots, and Rice cooked in Soy sauce. On festivals and celebratory occasions, each household cooks their own "Shouyu meshi".

  • How to eat

    Prepare vegetables such as Carrots and gobou(=burdock root) , and cook Rice with Soy sauce and other seasonings. Arrange the rice in a bowl and top with an Egg,“ Nori”, or other ingredients. The rice is rich and tasty even when cold. You can enjoy this dish all year round by adding seasonal ingredients such as wild vegetables in spring, satoimo(=Japanese taro) and daikon radish in winter, and so on. The more rice you cook, the more delicious "Shouyu meshi" you can make.

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the people who have passed down the tradition, preservation groups, use of SNS, modern efforts such as commercialization, etc.)
    A popular dish that is eaten at home; the Bento store that used to sell the Bento at JR Matsuyama Station is no longer in business, but another store has taken over the recipe and is now selling the Bento.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Rice 3 cups
  • Chicken meat 150g
  • Carrot 50g
  • Dried shiitake mushroom 3
  • Gobou(=Burdock root) 50g
  • Konjac(=yam cake) 1／2
  • Kinshi Tamago (egg thread) 
  • Nori threads for garnishing a little
  • Dried fried thin tofu 1
  • [Seasoning A] Soy sauce 1 1／2 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Salt 1／2 tsp.
  • [Seasoning A] Sake 2 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning B] Light soy sauce 1 1／2 tbsp.
  • [Seasoning B] Sake 2 tbsp.

How to cook

  • 1. Wash rice, drain in a colander, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.

  • 2. Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms and cut into strips. Cut the chicken into small pieces, and sprinkle with seasoning B. Cut the Carrots into strips. Cut the gobou(=burdock root) into strips and then soak in vinegar water to remove the scum. Cut the dried fried thin tofu into strips and pour boiling water over them to remove any residue oil from the fried thin tofu.

  • 3. Add 1, 2, seasoning A and water to a pot, mix well and cook.

  • 4. Place 3 on a serving dish and sprinkle with Kinshi Tamago (egg thread) and Nori threads.

provider : "Ehime's 100 Best Local Dishes" (Ehime Prefecture Tourism Association)

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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