🍱 Nigui

It is said that the dish began with Buddhist cuisine which does not use chicken, and is made without exception for Buddhist memorial services, and frequently made for celebrations such as weddings as well. An odd number of ingredients are selected from taro, konjac, carrots, shiitake, fried tofu skin, wheat gluten, and lotus root, and each are cut into 3-4 cubes. Soy sauce and salt are added with a subtle amount of sugar, and then boiled in dashi broth for the taste of a clear soup with many ingredients. With "nigui," ingredients are chopped into bite-sized pieces, a little more finely than typical stews, and cooked with plenty of broth. Its taste is one that brings relief to your heart. The first time it is made as a soup, and once time has passed and the juice has evaporated to become a stew, that is counted as the second time; the name "nigui" comes from the fact that it is eaten twice ("nido gui"). It is also called "dabu" in the Chikuho region, where kudzu starch or potato starch are added at the end to give it thickness.