Gancha-jiru (Crab Soup) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Tottori Prefecture

Gancha-jiru (Crab Soup)

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Main lore areas

All of Tottori Prefecture
Main ingredients used

River crab (‘Mokuzu-gani’ = Japanese mitten crab), Eggplant

History/origin/related events

River crab caught in clear rivers in Tottori Prefecture is used for ‘Gancha-jiru. In Tottori Prefecture, Japanese mitten crab is called ‘kawagani’ (=river crab), and it was born in the sea, grown up in the river, then back to the sea to lay eggs. It has been called by various names like ‘kawagani’ (=river crab), ‘egani’ or ‘tsugani’, and is very popular among the locals. Male crab is bigger than female one, its shell is around 80mm (about 3inches). It has thin hairs on limbs with or without chela, and the hairs looks like ‘mokuzu’ (=scraps of seaweed). That’s why this crab is called ‘mokuzu-gani’ (=Japanese mitten crab).
Nowadays people use mixers, but they used to put crab alive into a stone mill, then crush it with a pounder into pieces. Filter crushed crab and heat with water. Crab meat becomes coagulate, then you will see something fluffy in the soup. These fluffy stuff contain flavor of crab, and it gives flavor to the soup, too. ‘Gancha-jiru’ is a dish you can enjoy great taste of Japanese mitten crab fully.
Opportunities and times of eating habits

This soup is served from autumn to winter, season for Japanese mitten crab. Especially, female ‘uchiko’ (=crab ovary) is known as a delicacy. When crab start to lay eggs from late summer to autumn, female Japanese mitten crab is dealt at as high price as Chinese mitten crab (Shanghai Crab, similar kind of Japanese mitten crab). It doesn’t have much meat.
How to eat

Remove a shell from crab. Put water and crab into a mixer, then crush until it becomes liquid. Filter it with a strainer, and put it with eggplants and water into a pan to heat. Once boiled, add soy sauce and sake, then add finely chopped green onion and stop heating. It is also good to just add miso only for flavor. You can add crushed tofu, too.
‘Kani-miso’ (paste found inside a crab's intestinal area) is very rich and tasty, and can be added to miso soup for rich dashi (=Japanese soup stock). However, you must cook it with heat when it is served because parasites called oriental lung fluke are in it.
Efforts for Preservation and Succession

(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)
You can find this dish at local fish stores or supermarkets from summer to autumn.

RECIPE

Ingredients (5 servings)

‘Kawagani’ (river crab = Japanese mitten crab) 250g
Eggplant 1 (middle size)
Water 2 and 1／2 cups
Soy sauce 3 tbsp.
Sake 1／2 tbsp.
Green onion As needed

How to cook

1. Remove shells from crab. Remove ‘hakama’ (‘fundoshi’, triangle-shape shell at the lower body) and remove black parts, too.
2. Put 1／2 cup of water and crab into a mixer, and crash until it becomes liquid.
3. Filter 2 with a strainer. Remove shells by filtering further with adding water.
4. Cut eggplant with skin into long and thin, easy-to-eat size.
5. Put 3 (crab soup), eggplant and the rest of water into a pan to heat. Once boiled, add soy sauce and sake. Add finely chopped green onion and stop heating.

provider : Tohaku District Improving Life Group Liaison 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

Gancha-jiru (Crab Soup) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

Tottori Prefecture

Gancha-jiru (Crab Soup)

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 servings)

How to cook