# Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Junsai Nabe (Junsai pot dish)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Northwestern Akita

## Main Ingredients Used
Junsai (=water shield), chicken, gobou(=burdock), Japanese leek, Seri(=Japanese parsley) , mushrooms, tofu, konjac(=yam cake) noodle

## History, Origin, and Related Events
"Junsai nabe" is a one-pot dish in which a large amount of junsai is added along with chicken, gobou(=burdock), and other ingredients. "Junsai" is characterized by its smooth and juicy texture, and it goes very well with chicken. Having an abundant amount of junsai in the pot is the local specialty. "Junsai", often called “watershield” in English, grows in freshwater marshes and ponds. It is a perennial aquatic plant and is from the water lily family with round leaves floating on the surface of the water. The bright green leaves grow from spring to summer, and the jelly-like shoots that emerge from the stems are eaten. In Japan, it used to grow wild in many places, and in Akita Prefecture, it was growing wild in "Kakusuke-numa" in the town of Mitane. It has been called "nunawa" (swamp rope) in the region, because it grows long and thin like a rope in the swamp. People have eaten junsai for a long time, but environmental changes have reduced its native areas. The local people began to cultivate and maintain the "junsai" swamp with the passion to save their precious foodstuff. Now, the town of Mitane has become one of the largest producers of "junsai" in Japan. Even today, "junsai" are carefully hand-picked one by one on a little boat, which has become a summer tradition in the town of Mitane.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
This pot dish is eaten May to August during the junsai harvest season. In Akita, it is popular as a summer pot dish.

## How to Eat
Put chicken broth, locally grown chicken, gobou(=burdock), and Japanese parsley in a pot and bring to a boil. When everything is cooked, add junsai and sevve. Overcooking may spoil the delicious texture of "junsai".

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)An event called the "World Junsai Picking Championship" is held every year in late June or early July. Also, at some of the tourist farms in the town of Mitane, visitors can experience picking "junsai" from May to August."Junsai" can be purchased from May to August at stores and farm stands in the town. Preserved boiled "junsai" can be purchased throughout the year.

## Ingredients
- Junsai (=water shield): as desired amount
- Locally grown chicken: 300g
- Chicken bones: 1 whole chicken carcass
- Seri (=Japanese parsley): 150g
- Japanese leek: 3 sticks
- Gobou(=burdock): 150g
- Mushrooms in season: 200g
- Konjac(=yam cake) noodle: 200g
- Tofu: half pack
- Soy sauce: 60cc
- Sake: a little

## Recipe
1. 1. Make plenty broth with chicken bone (about 800 cc).
2. 2. ring the broth to a boil, and add the bite-size pieces of chicken and gobou(=burdock) and simmer until cooked through.
3. 3. When cooked, scoop out the scum, add soy sauce, and add sake as a secret ingredient.
4. 4. Cook the konjac(=yam cake) noodle and mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the Japanese leeks, seri (Japanese parsley), and tofu.
5. 5. Finally, add only the portion of junsai you want, and when the color turns green, serve it in a bowl with the ingredients.

## Provider Information
provider : “Akita Kyomi(=local cuisine) Fudoki” (Akita Prefecture Rural Life Research Group Council)

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