How to eat kiritanpo nabe (rice pounded in a cylinder shape hot pot) | Enjoy Akita’s local cuisine!
Kiritanpo (pounded rice cake) is one of Akita’s most famous dishes. In this installment, we asked the staff at AKITA DINING Namahage Ginza to show us the best way to enjoy kiritanpo nabe!
【Advised by】AKITA DINING Namahage Ginza（AKITA DINING なまはげ銀座店）
Table of Contents
Kiritanpo nabe
Kiritanpo is freshly cooked rice that has been pounded until it becomes a sticky rice cake, then wrapped around an Akita cedar skewer from the tip and roasted until golden brown.
The kiritanpo is removed from the skewer, cut into bite-size pieces, and placed in a nabe (hot pot).
Kiritanpo nabe features the broth of Hinai jidori chicken (free range chicken from Hinai), known as one of the three best tasting chickens in Japan.
From the moment the nabe is served, the aroma of Hinai jidori chicken fills your senses stirring up your appetite.
Ingredients are kiritanpo, Hinai jidori chicken, burdock root, leek, maitake mushroom, shirataki (noodles made from konjak starch), grilled fu (wheat gluten cake), and Japanese parsley.
Add the first set of ingredients!
Once the soup comes to a boil, add the burdock root, leek, and grilled fu. Let boil for about 3 minutes and check to see if the ingredients are cooked before adding the next ingredients.
Add the chicken!
After adding the first set of ingredients, next comes the Hinai jidori chicken. Add the maitake mushrooms and shirataki along with the chicken. Let boil for about 2 minutes. The aroma of Hinai jidori chicken becomes increasingly aromatic providing even more stimulation to your appetite.
Add the kiritanpo!
Put kiritanpo into the nabe where the ingredients are simmering.
After about a minute and a half, the kiritanpo becomes just soft enough to soak up the broth, and is ready to eat in no time. If you simmer it too long, the kiritanpo will fall apart. The timing must be perfect, so simmer to your liking while confirming the tenderness of the kiritanpo by picking it up with chopsticks.
Finish with some Japanese parsley and you’re done!
Enjoy the chewy kiritanpo with Hinai jidori chicken broth.
Enjoy a famous Akita specialty afterwards
To finish off the meal, we recommend the Akita specialty, Inaniwa udon (udon noodles from Inaniwa)! Inaniwa udon, featuring smooth and slippery noodles, goes perfectly with the broth and is not too hard to finish even if you think you might be full from the kiritanpo.
Inaniwa udon is not the only way to finish off your meal.
Of course, rice is also available.
You can order rice to finish your meal ojiya (porridge) style. Choose whichever you prefer and enjoy this Akita specialty to the very last bite!
* The published information is current as of November 2022. Prices and other details are subject to change.
Enjoy seasonal ingredients directly shipped from Akita as well as local cuisine and sake. The impressive interior of the restaurant is actually a completely reconstructed old Japanese farmhouse which was relocated from Akita. You can also enjoy a Namahage performance, which is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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