# Tofumeshi (Tofu and Rice) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Tofumeshi (Tofu and Rice)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Oyama district of Tamba-Sasayama

## Main Ingredients Used
Tofu, rice, mackerel (boiled in water and canned), burdock root, carrots, deep-fried tofu

## History, Origin, and Related Events
The dish is called "tofumeshi (tofu and rice)," in which ingredients such as boiled tofu, carrots, burdock root, and mackerel boiled in water are fried and mixed with freshly cooked rice. It is a regional dish handed down from about 120 years ago in the Oyama district of Tamba-Sasayama. During gatherings in the region, preparing food for a crowd of people was no laughing matter, so it was suggested that seniors should prepare something by mixing side dishes with rice. It is said that the dish was born out of that suggestion. Regardless of being a village in a mountain valley, the village had mackerel. The reason the village had mackerel was that it obtained mackerel pickled in salt. It obtained mackerel pickled in salt because one of the "mackerel highways," which were routes to transport fish such as mackerel from Wakasa Bay to Kyoto, led to this region.During the slack season for farmers in the Tamba district beginning in the middle of the Edo period, many seasonal brewers would go to the sake breweries in Nada to work away from home. It is said that when those brewers would depart, tofumeshi (tofu and rice) would be packed in the box lunches that hung from their waists.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
The dish is prepared for and served at athletic meets, important ceremonial occasions, and gatherings in the district.

## How to Eat
Use canned mackerel boiled in water, which you can easily use, not raw mackerel. Fry ingredients such as carrots, burdock root, deep-fried tofu, and boiled tofu. Season them with a soy sauce base. Place them over freshly cooked rice. Let everything steam. Then mix everything together.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
The dish is served as a set meal at the restaurant at Shin Tambaso, an accommodation facility in the city. The ingredients of “tofumeshi” in sealed plastic pouches are sold at stores. Also, the dish is served as a school lunch.

## Ingredients
- Rice: 2 go (1 go = 0.18 liters)
- Firm tofu (hardened): 200g
- Burdock root: 80g
- Carrots: 30g
- Deep-fried tofu: 20g
- Canned mackerel boiled in water: 80g
- Oil: 1 tsp.
- Soy sauce: 2 tbsp.
- Sake: 1 tsp.

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash the rice. Cook it with your usual amount of water.
2. 2. Boil the firm tofu really well (about 40 minutes). Drain it in a colander.
3. 3. Cut the carrots lengthwise into 3-centimeter strips. Shave off the skin of the burdock root, shave the root into slivers, soak the slivers in water, remove the scum, and drain the water. Cut the deep-fried tofu lengthwise into 3-centimeter strips.
4. 4. Pour oil into a pot and heat it. Put the burdock root, the carrots, and the deep-fried tofu into the pot in that order. Fry the ingredients.
5. 5. When the vegetables become tender, add the tofu from #2 and the canned mackerel. Fry the tofu while smashing it (try not to smash it into small bits). Season with soy sauce and sake. Simmer after frying until the broth is used up.
6. 6. When the rice is cooked, place the ingredients from #5 on top of the rice and cover the pot with a lid. After steaming the contents for about 15 ~ 20 minutes, mix them together.

## Provider Information
provider : Tamba-Sasayama Izumikai and Tamba-Sasayama

![Image](Not found)