# Aimaze ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Aimaze

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Taketa City

## Main Ingredients Used
Tofu, dried daikon radish slices, fern shoots, and dried shiitake mushrooms

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Taketa City, located in the southwestern part of Oita Prefecture, is an area rich in nature surrounded by the Kuju Mountain Range, the Aso Gairin Mountains, and the foothills of Mount Sobo. The city is situated along the Onogawa River, a first-class river, and boasts a group of springs said to produce tens of thousands of tons of water per day.“Aimaze” is an indispensable part of meals in the Kuju district of Taketa City. “Aimaze” is stir-fried vegetables mixed with grated tofu. It’s similar to shiraae salad because it’s dressed with tofu, but it differs in that it uses plenty of mountain vegetables such as fern shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and dried daikon radish slices. It’s said that the name “aimaze” comes from the fact that both the ingredients and the tofu are seasoned (ajitsuke suru) and mixed (mazeru) together. Dishes with the same name have been passed down in Mie Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture, but these refer to “Ninamasu”' and “vegetables dressed with sesame vinegar,” and are completely different from the “aimaze” of Oita Prefecture.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
As a hospitality dish for ceremonial occasions, “Aimaze” was always served at meals. There are no rules about the ingredients used, and there are a wide range of variations using seasonal vegetables and mountain vegetables that can be harvested nearby. Therefore, the appearance and seasoning of the dish differ greatly from house to house. In times when sugar was precious, “aimaze” served on special occasions was a luxurious delicacy because it used plenty of sugar for flavor. Also, sweet sake was sometimes used instead of sugar to bring out the sweet flavor.

## How to Eat
Cut dried shiitake mushrooms and carrots into thin strips, and boil them together with fern shoots and dried daikon radish slices in dashi stock and soy sauce. Grind the tofu in a mortar while adding salt and sugar, and finally mix it with the other ingredients. If you drain the water well before grinding the tofu, it will become sticky when you grind it, making it easier to mix.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)Even today it’s an indispensable dish for Buddhist ceremonies, but the sweetness is milder these days.

## Ingredients
- fern shoots: 30g
- block tofu: 1／2
- medium dried shiitake mushrooms: 3
- dried daikon radish: 30g
- slice of konjac: 1／2
- carrots: 30g
- red pickled ginger: a little
- roasted sesame seeds: 4 tbsp
- Salad oil: as needed
- [A] dashi stock: a little
- [A] soy sauce: a little
- [A] sugar: a little
- [B] soy sauce: 1.5 tbsp
- [B] mirin sweet rice wine: 1 tbsp
- [B] sugar: 1 tbsp
- [C] salt: 1／2 tsp
- [C] sugar: 15g
- [C] salt: A little

## Recipe
1. 1. Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms and dried daikon slices in water. Parboil the konjac.
2. 2. Roast the sesame seeds until the oil comes out.
3. 3. Stir-fry the fern shoots (which have been soaked overnight in the water they were boiled in) in oil, season with Seasoning A, and cut into easy-to-eat pieces.
4. 4. Cut the shiitake mushrooms, carrots and konjac into strips.
5. 5. Cut the rehydrated daikon radish into easy-to-eat pieces.
6. 6. Boil the shiitake mushrooms, carrots, dried daikon radish, and konjac in Seasoning B until the liquid reduces.
7. 7. Add the tofu, previously boiled and drained, to the ground sesame seeds and mix well.
8. 8. Adjust the flavor with Seasoning C.
9. 9. Add the ingredients and mix.
10. 10. Place in a bowl and decorate with red pickled ginger.

## Provider Information
provider : “The Local Cuisine of Oita We Want to Pass on to the Next Generation”Recipe image provided by : Oita Prefecture

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