# Noppe Jiru ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Noppe Jiru

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Entire prefecture

## Main Ingredients Used
Fried tofu, vegetables

## History, Origin, and Related Events
“Noppejiru” is a soup that has been passed down through families in Saga Prefecture, and is sometimes called “Noppeijiru” or “Nuppeijiru.” “Noppe” or “noppei” means the soup’s consistency is thickened with potato starch. It’s characterized by its thickness and the presence of many root vegetables such as taro and burdock. It’s eaten as an everyday meal, especially in winter, as a dish to warm the body. It’s also often eaten on days when people gather, and the ingredients used vary depending on the event. For example, chicken for celebrations, azuki beans for auspicious days such as weddings, and flower gluten without meat for memorial services. But it always has plenty of ingredients such as vegetables, and is always seasoned with soy sauce and salt.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In addition to being eaten on a daily basis as a soup to warm the body during the cold winter, it’s also eaten on ceremonial occasions. Shiitake mushrooms and burdock root are added for flavor at Buddhist ceremonies, while chicken is added at celebrations. Also, azuki beans are sometimes added for auspicious occasions such as weddings.

## How to Eat
Dice and briefly boil the vegetables such as taro, sweet potato, burdock, and lotus root. Also dice the other ingredients such as chicken, fish paste, and chikuwa fish cake tubes. Boil the ingredients in dashi stock; once cooked, season with salt and soy sauce, then thicken with potato starch dissolved in water. The dashi stock can be made from kombu seaweed, chicken bones, dried shiitake mushrooms, etc., and can also be simmered with deep-fried tofu shimejiru (the once-boiled juice that remains after the tofu has been boiled), sake, or mirin sweet rice wine. Sometimes tofu is added for color or green peas are sprinkled on top to add a touch of green.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)In addition to being commonly made at home, it can also be enjoyed at restaurants in the prefecture.

## Ingredients
- fried tofu (1 block): 300g
- taro (4 pieces): 200g
- carrot: 100g (1)
- burdock root: 100g(1 medium)
- daikon radish: 70g(1／10th)
- lotus root: 70g
- konjac: 70g (1／3rd slice)
- Dried shiitake mushrooms: 6g (3 medium pieces)
- potato starch: 1 tbsp
- dashi stock: 5 cups
- salt: 1 tsp
- soy sauce: 2 tbsp

## Recipe
1. 1. Cut the fried tofu, taro, carrot, burdock root, daikon radish, lotus root, and konjac into chunks. Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms in water and cut into thin slices.
2. 2. Parboil the burdock root, lotus root, and konjac.
3. 3. Put the ingredients from Step 1 into a deep pot, add the dashi broth, and simmer until they become tender.
4. 4. Adjust the flavor with salt and soy sauce, and finish by adding potato starch dissolved in water to thicken the soup.

## Provider Information
provider : Local specialty of Odonga Town

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