【Ingredients】 (5 Servings)
katakuchiiwashi・ Dried Japanese anchovies (カタクチイワシ / Katakuchi iwashi)
(Ones specifically for tazukuri 田作り)……３０g (1.05oz)
・ Walnuts (クルミ / Kurumi)……10ｇ (.35oz)
・ White sesame seeds (白ごま / Shiro goma)……1tsp
・ Sesame oil (ごま油 / Goma-abura)……1tsp
・ Sugar (砂糖 / Satō)……2tbsp
・ Soy sauce (しょうゆ / Shōyu)……1tsp
・ Water (水 / Mizu)……1tsp

【How to Make】
① Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan. Add the dried sardines (gomame) and fry until you can smell the aroma of the oil and sardines. Transfer to a bowl.
② Add the sugar, soy sauce, and water to the same frying pan and heat. This will produce small bubbles. When the small bubbles turn into large bubbles, add the sardines, walnuts, and white sesame, and stir quickly, mixing everything well.
③ Spread the contents of the frying pan onto cooking paper.
【Significance as Osechi Ryori】
・ The dried sardines referred to above are called tazukuri or gomame in Japanese. As a species they are more accurately referred to as Japanese anchovies or katakuchi iwashi. Tazukuri or gomame can also mean dishes like that described above, in which the dried sardines are caramelized in a mixture that commonly consists of sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. Tazukuri, by the way, refers to the preparation of rice paddies for planting, in part by fertilizing with dried sardines. The same sardines came to be used in dishes like the one above, and the name stuck.
・ Tazukuri is an essential element of osechi ryori, or New Year holiday dishes. The use of dried sardines establishes a deep connection to the planting of rice paddies and incorporates a wish for an abundant harvest.

Recipe Developed by:Machiko Tateno

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