# Egg agar/soy sauce agar ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Egg agar/soy sauce agar

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Shonai area

## Main Ingredients Used
Agar, egg, soy sauce, and sugar

## History, Origin, and Related Events
In Yamagata Prefecture, dishes using agar have been eaten for a long time, and it is also served as a tea snack. In the Shonai area, agar as a sweet dessert is mainstream, and the most popular one is "egg agar". It has a sweet soy sauce flavor and is made for celebratory occasions such as festivals and the New Year. It is said that the combination of agar, which is deeply rooted in the Japanese diet, and eggs, which were a valuable commodity at the time, has become popular as an event food. Boiled or beaten eggs are sometimes added as well, and the flavor is distinctively sweet and salty with soy sauce and sugar.Also in the prefecture, there is "egg agar" which is sweet and salty, as in the Shonai region, and "walnut agar", which is chopped walnuts seasoned with sugar and soy sauce. Furthermore, in the Okitama area, there are many agar dishes such as agar with vegetables and mustard agar mixed with kneaded mustard. "Mustard agar" is treated as an item on the Buddhist menu.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Even within the same prefecture, people have different perceptions of agar dishes. In the Shonai area, egg agar is like a sweet eaten on special occasions such as festivals and the New Year. As an event food for "the Sakata Festival" held in May, this dish is as popular as" trout ankake "and "moso-jiru."Although it is generally eaten on special occasions, it is sold on a daily basis in the side dish section of supermarkets.

## How to Eat
Put agar and water in a pot and heat it. When the agar melts, add sugar, soy sauce, and beaten egg, transfer to a container, and refrigerate. Once it has solidified, cut it into bite-sized pieces and eat it as is.In addition to beaten eggs, there are also cases where chopped-up boiled eggs are used. Depending on whether you make it as a snack or a side dish, the seasoning will be slightly different, and the recipe will differ for each family. Also, there are different preferences for the firmness of the finish.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)"Egg agar "is widely known as an event food for special occasions and as a snack for ordinary households, and is also sold at supermarkets and direct sales stores. Some dishes, such as mustard agar, have taken root as part of the shojin ryori menu.

## Ingredients
- This recipe is for egg agar: 
- agar stick approx. 7g (3g for powdered agar): 1
- egg: 1
- soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
- mirin: 1 teaspoon
- sugar: 1／2 teaspoon
- salt: 1／2 teaspoon
- Water: 500cc

## Recipe
1. 1. Soak the agar stick in plenty of water for at least 30 minutes to make it expand, then tear it into small pieces. Add water and the small pieces of agar, then heat over medium heat while stirring with a wooden spatula. When it boils, lower the heat and heat it for another 1-2 minutes to boil it well.
2. 2. Add the seasoning to the agar liquid and quickly pour the beaten egg into it in a thin stream.
3. 3. Put Step 2 in a container that has been moistened with water, let it cool, and it's done.Recipe variationWhen adding vegetables, scatter them evenly after the egg has hardened from the heat of the agar. In the Okitama area, summer vegetables and lightly seasoned shiitake mushrooms are sometimes added in addition to eggs.

## Provider Information
provider : Recipe provided by: “Food Capital Shonai” Brand Strategy Conference, “Okitama Traditional Cuisine Collection Tsunagu,” etc.

![Image](Not found)