# Nara Ae ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Nara Ae

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
All of Nara Prefecture

## Main Ingredients Used
Nara-zuke (=pickled vegetables), Fiddlehead ferns, Kampyo (=dried gourd strips), Dried shiitake mushrooms, Tsukikonnyaku (konjac strips), Carrots, Fried thin tofu

## History, Origin, and Related Events
"Nara-ae" is a dish that uses Nara's specialty, "Nara-zuke", and is a popular dish even among children. There is a mention of "Kasuzukeuri" in the wooden tablets excavated from the Nara Palace Site, but at that time, sake was more like doburoku (unrefined sake), and it is believed that it was a mixture of vegetables and sediment at the bottom of the container, different from the current sake kasu (sake lees).Nara, known as the birthplace of refined sake, had abundant delicious "sake kasu(=sake lees)", leading to the development of the method for making "kasuzuke(=sake marinate)" from ancient times. However, until the Edo period, it was considered a luxurious item that did not reach the mouths of common people.It is said that "Nara-zuke" was presented to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, receiving favorable reviews, but these "Nara-zuke" were likely made in temples along with sake. In the Edo period, Itoya Sosen, a Chinese medicine practitioner in Nara, started selling "sake kasu"-pickled white melon to townspeople, marking the first time it entered the mouths of the general public. Subsequently, with travelers visiting Nara spreading the name of "Nara-zuke" nationwide, it has become synonymous with "kasuzuke" (sake marinate).

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
"Nara-zuke" is consumed throughout the year, and the dish using it called "Nara-ae" is also eaten regularly in households as part of daily meals.

## How to Eat
A dish that involves simmering ingredients such as kampyo (=dried gourd strips), dried shiitake mushrooms, carrots, thin strips of deep-fried tofu, and "zenmai (=bracken or fiddlehead fern)" with seasonings, and then adding Nara-zuke. It is best enjoyed not when warm but after it has cooled down, allowing the flavors to blend. Stirring the dish several times while it cools further enhances the flavor.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Even today, it is frequently prepared in households and passed down from parents to children. It is also served in schools as a school lunch, and it has become a popular dish even among children who may not otherwise like "Nara-zuke".

## Ingredients
- Zenmai (=bracken or fiddlehead fern) (water-boiled): 120g
- Kanpyo (=dried gourd strips): 12g
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (medium-sized): 16g
- Tsukikonnyaku (konjac strips): 40g
- Carrot: 40g
- Julienned Fried Thin Tofu (aburaage): 20g
- Nara-zuke (adjust to taste): 40g
- [Seasonings A] Sugar: 20g
- [Seasonings A] Soy Sauce: 20g
- [Seasonings A] Mirin(sweet rice wine): 4g
- [Seasonings A] Vegetable oil: 4g

## Recipe
1. 1. Parboil the tsukikonnyaku (konjac strips).
2. 2. Rehydrate "kanpyo (=dried gourd strips)" and dried shiitake mushrooms. Cut "kanpyo" into 3cm lengths and slice shiitake mushrooms thinly.
3. 3. Remove excess sake lees from "Nara-zuke" and chop finely.
4. 4. Slice carrots thinly. Drain water from zenmai (=bracken or fiddlehead fern) and cut into bite-sized lengths. Parboil the aburaage, drain excess oil, and cut into strips.
5. 5. Heat vegetable oil in a pot, lightly stir-fry all ingredients except "Nara-zuke". Add "dashi (=Japanese soup stock)" and [Seasonings A], simmer until the liquid reduces. Adjust the taste before adding Nara-zuke, then mix thoroughly.

## Provider Information
provider : "Nara Prefecture's Collection of Local Recipes ~ Growing up healthy as Yamato Children~" (Nara Prefectural Board of Education)

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