Dondoroke Meshi (Tottori Rice Cooked with Stir-Fried Tofu)
Dondoroke Meshi (Tottori Rice Cooked with Stir-Fried Tofu)
Dondoroke meshi is a local dish of Tottori Prefecture in which tofu stir-fried in oil and vegetables such as burdock and carrot are cooked together with rice. It has been handed down from the eastern to the central part of the prefecture and is also called 'tofu meshi' (tofu rice). 'Dondoroke' means thunder in the local dialect. It is said to have been named because the crackling sound made when tofu is put into hot oil sounds like a peal of thunder. In the past, tofu was a treat and a valuable source of protein. Dondoroke meshi has been made at breaks in farm work, such as after rice planting, and when villagers gathered. Dried shiitake mushrooms and aburaage (thin fried tofu) add umami, and it is finished with light seasoning for a clean taste. In the Showa era people began adding chicken, and after rice cookers became widespread, a mixed-rice style of preparation also spread. Today it also appears on school lunch menus featuring local cuisine.
Origin
Dondoroke meshi is a takikomi gohan (rice cooked together with seasoned ingredients) that spread through farming and mountain villages from eastern to central Tottori Prefecture. Its name is said to liken the sound of tofu being stir-fried in oil to 'dondoroke,' a dialect word meaning thunder. In Tottori, a story has been handed down that in the Edo period Ikeda Mitsunaka, lord of the Tottori Domain, encouraged people to eat tofu for the sake of frugality, and it is said that a tofu culture took root as a result. Dondoroke meshi is also introduced as one of these tofu dishes. There is also a theory that it began when women who had helped with a funeral made and ate it after cleaning up.
History
In the past, tofu was a precious treat, and in the tofu huts of each village, several people would gather to make tofu using soybeans they had grown themselves. Dondoroke meshi has been made at breaks in farm work, such as shiromite (celebration after rice planting), and at village meetings. Because tofu spoils easily, it was considered a dish for the cold season, and some sources say it was made around the winter solstice. It is also said that at first it was a simple dish of only tofu, daikon radish, and daikon leaves. When people began keeping chickens in the Showa era, chicken was added as well.
Features
Tofu with the water drained off is stir-fried in oil, breaking it up, until golden brown. Burdock, carrot, dried shiitake, ito-konnyaku (konjac noodles), and aburaage are added and stir-fried, and the mixture is seasoned with sake and usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce. This is cooked together with rice and the liquid used to rehydrate the dried shiitake, and green onion is mixed in at the end. It was originally takikomi gohan, but from the mid-Showa era, when rice cookers became widespread, more households reportedly began making it as mazegohan (mixed rice). It has a gentle flavor that combines the richness of the stir-fried tofu with the umami of the vegetables.
Main Ingredients
Food Culture
In the past it was a dish cooked in large quantities in a big iron pot and shared among the people who had gathered. In 気高町, Tottori City, there is a group working to pass it on; it entered a 'Dondoroke Bento' in the call for bento entries at the 2009 'Tottori Inaba Festival' and won an award.
FAQ
Q. What does 'dondoroke' mean?
A. It is the Tottori dialect word for thunder. When tofu is put into hot oil and stir-fried, it makes a loud crackling sound. It is said that this sound was likened to thunder, and the dish came to be called dondoroke meshi.