# Tori Meshi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Tori Meshi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
All of Miyazaki Prefecture, Shintomi-cho

## Main Ingredients Used
Chicken meat, rice, carrots, gobou (=burdock), shiitake mushrooms

## History, Origin, and Related Events
“Tori Meshi” is a rice seasoned and cooked with vegetables and chicken meat and has been a popular recipe for years, particularly as a farmer’s dish. It is often eaten during short breaks when harvesting or engaging in farmwork. The rice is made into rice balls so that a family member can easily give the rice ball to someone working hard in a field. The people of Miyazaki and other areas of Kyushu eat a lot of chicken meat and this dish is enjoyed daily. When many people gather for an event, the dish is prepared in a large pot. The number of broilers raised in Miyazaki ranked number 1 in Japan in 2018.This dish has long been eaten in the town of Shintomi of central Miyazaki prefecture. To pass on this tradition, an association of farmers who inherited the traditional recipe participated in the “Gotochi (=local) Gourmet Contest” held in 2011 and won. “Tori Meshi” is also know as “Kasuga Zushi” which comes from the Kasuga district of Shintomi-cho.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
This dish is often served during celebrations but is also enjoyed as a daily meal. This menu is available at local restaurants. This dish is cooked in a large pot when served at festivals and other large events. The recipe can be customized and tastes differently depending on the region and the family that makes it.

## How to Eat
Stir-fry thin slices of chicken meat in a pot. Add dashi broth, cut carrots, burdock, and shiitake mushrooms as well as the seasonings and cook until the flavor is absorbed. Cook the ingredients with washed rice.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of traditions, preservation societies, social media use, modern approaches for commercialization etc.)Using freezing techniques, the dish is sold at airports, service areas next to highways and online and is representative of this region.

## Ingredients
- Rice: 2 cups
- Chicken meat: 300g
- Carrots: 100g
- Gobou (=burdock): 100g
- Large, dried shiitake mushrooms: 3 pieces
- Dark soy sauce: 1 tbsp.
- Light soy sauce: 2 tbsp.
- Sugar: 3 tbsp.

## Recipe
1. 1. Wash the rice and drain in a colander.
2. 2. Remove the fat from the chicken meat and cut into small pieces.
3. 3. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water for about one hour and cut into julienne sizes.
4. 4. Cut the gobou (=burdock) into thin strips and soak in water. Also cut the carrots into thin strips.
5. 5. Put the chicken in a pot and stir-fry over a stove. (Use the fat of the chicken meat instead of a vegetable oil)
6. 6. Add the shiitake mushrooms and gobou (=burdock), in that order, and a small amount of the water that the mushrooms were soaked in and the sugar. After a while, add the soy sauce and stir-fry some more until the flavor is absorbed. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
7. 7. Put the rice, cooled ingredients, and carrots in a rice cooker, mix lightly, and cook.
8. 8. After cooking, steam for about 15 minutes, mix lightly, cover with a lid, and let the flavors blend.

## Provider Information
provider : “Local Cuisine Recipes” (JA Miyazaki Prefecture Women’s Organization Council)

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