質問: > > お汁粉は、**甘く{あまく}**煮た小豆の汁に餅などを入れた温かい食べ物です。 > > Oshiruko is a hot food with a rice cake in a *sweetly* boiled adzuki bean broth. > > > I think I must be misunderstanding how 甘く is used here, since you can't boil something in a sweet way.
回答: It's 結果構文 (Resultative Construction). The continuative form of an adjective (甘く here) represents the resultant state caused by the action (煮る). So 甘く煮る means "to boil/cook/stew and make sweet" (≂ 煮て甘くする), or "to boil/cook/stew in such a way that it will become sweet, by adding sugar" (≂ (砂糖で)甘くなるように煮る), i.e. "boil with sugar". Like in this phrase, I think 煮る can include the process of flavoring -- you 煮る the ingredient in flavored water when you make [煮豆]{にまめ}, [煮魚]{にざかな}, シチュー etc. where the food is usually served with the flavored water. When you boil the food in unflavored water and drain it, like when you boil 卵, [蕎麦]{そば}, パスタ, vegetables for お[浸]{ひた}し etc, you use the verb [茹]{ゆ}でる. cf: 「魚を[甘辛]{あまから}く[煮付]{につ}ける」 "boil/simmer fish in a way that it will be sweet and salty" → "boil/simmer fish with soy sauce and sugar". A few more examples of 結果構文: > > [壁]{かべ}を[白]{しろ}く[塗]{ぬ}る (≂ 壁を塗って白くする) -- paint a wall white > > [部屋]{へや}をきれいに[掃除]{そうじ}する (≂ 部屋を掃除してきれいにする) -- sweep a room clean > > ご[飯]{はん}をおいしく[炊]{た}く -- make good boiled rice > > [靴]{くつ}をピカピカに[磨]{みが}く -- polish/shine shoes well > > [髪]{かみ}を[短]{みじか}く[切]{き}る -- cut one's hair short > > [息子]{むすこ}を[立派]{りっぱ}に[育]{そだ}てる -- bring up one's son to be a fine/respectable man > > >