April 17, 2017

Atsuage and Namaage/厚揚げ、生揚げ

Atsuage is deep-fried tofu, and I like atsuage very much. Atsuage is also called namaage. I first learned the term namaage from my father, and I googled to find that the term atsuage is mainly used in Kansai (Western Japan) and the term namaage is mainly used in Kanto (Eastern Japan).
厚揚げは揚げた豆腐のことで、私は厚揚げが大好きです。厚揚げは生揚げとも呼ばれます。生揚げという言葉は父から初めて知りましたが、ググると、厚揚げという言葉は主に関西で使われ、生揚げという言葉は主に関東で使われるそうです。
 
The photo below shows a product sold as namaage.
次の写真のは、生揚げとして売られている製品です。
 
I first cut it into manageable sizes and then microwave it for a few minutes.
I then sprinkle chopped naganegi and katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings).
まずは手ごろな大きさに切って、電子レンジで数分加熱します。
それから、刻んだ長ねぎと鰹節を振り掛けます。 
I usually pour some mentsuyu (noodle soup) concentrate, but this time, I poured some olive oil and soy sauce.
いつもは濃縮タイプの麺つゆをかけるのですが、今回は、オリーブオイルとしょう油をかけました。 
I could live on rice and this and other soy products (tofu, natto, etc.) alone for the rest of my life!
ご飯とこのような大豆製品(豆腐、納豆など)だけで一生(いっしょう)生きてられます!

2 comments:

ErinBear said...

I love soy products, too! I eat tofu every day. It is so delicious! :-)

Thinking of you and sending best wishes from California,
Erin

Hiroyuki said...

ErinBear: Thank you for your kind words. Living with my parents (88 and 83) can sometimes be tough...

I always remember this particular episode (episode 5, season 1) of Shinya Shokudo when I have this simple atsuage dish:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3gtw5d
The same dish appears at around 4:50.