[Oita Prefecture's Chicken Rice]
Oita Prefecture purchases the largest amount of chicken meat per household per year in Japan. Chicken is used in a wide variety of dishes, including fried chicken, toriten (chicken tempura), and chicken soup. There are various recipes depending on the region and the household, and chicken rice is an indispensable dish for events where relatives gather and for special occasions. It is also popular in school lunches. It is said that the origin of this dish is that it was made from pheasant, pigeon, and other poultry meat by hunters to entertain their guests.
There are two main ways to make it: one is to cook the ingredients with soy sauce, sugar, and other seasonings first, and then mix them into the cooked rice; the other is to cook the rice and ingredients together from the beginning. This time, I made it the way I found it on Instagram, by mixing the ingredients into the cooked rice. To two cups of shiny rice cooked in a Suzuki's Hagama Rice Pot, add stir-fried chicken thighs and burdock root cooked in a mixture of sake, soy sauce, and sugar, mix well, and voila! Stir-frying brings out the umami flavor of the chicken thighs and burdock root, giving the dish a robust and satisfying taste. If you use Yamaichi's Triangular Onigiri Mold to make small onigiri, they are perfect for bento lunches or for snacking when you are feeling a little hungry.
With the weather getting warmer, we are hearing talk of Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) from all over the Japanese archipelago. Why not pack Oita Prefecture's chicken rice balls for your hanami bento this year?
Suzuki's Hagama Rice Pot
https://www.shokunin.com/en/suzuki/
Hakusan Porcelain's Hirachawan
https://www.shokunin.com/en/hakusan/hirachawan.html
Yamaichi's Triangular Onigiri Mold
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yamaichi/onigiri.html
Matsuya Shikkiten's Shirakinuri Lunch Box
https://www.shokunin.com/en/matsuya/
References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%90%89%E9%87%8E%E9%B6%8F%E3%82%81%E3%81%97
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/k_ryouri/search_menu/menu/torimeshi_oita.html
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cq4VBl9vyzV/ (recipe)
