At JR Sendai Station, the main station in Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region, there are many unique ekiben with a rich regional flavor available for purchase. Among them, I have long been curious about “Hakuyoken’s Aburi-engawa-zushi,” which I will introduce here.
Normally, one of my favorite things to do is to choose from the various products on display in the store, but this time I came to the store for this bento from the very beginning.
I bought the desired ekiben, of which there were only a few left because it was late in the evening, and opened the lid to find a piece of pressed sushi with seared Engawa wrapped in a bamboo leaf. It is a very simple bento with only soy sauce, pickled ginger (gari), salt, and lime on the side.
The star of the show, flounder Engawa, which is a bit unusual as an ekiben ingredient, is quite fatty and has a strong flavor. Depending on how the light hits it, it even looks glistening. I had imagined it to have a slightly bland flavor, so I was surprised by its unexpectedness.
The vinegared rice is covered with sweet pickled ginger and shiso leaves, a very refreshing combination. It is a very refreshing combination that goes very well with the seared flounder. In addition to the accompanying soy sauce, you can also enjoy it with salt or with lime juice.
Personally, I liked the soy sauce the best, but since the flounder has a strong flavor, I think it is also possible to eat it without any sauce.
The bamboo leaves that wrap the pressed sushi are, of course, real. I did not feel that the aroma of the bamboo leaves was transferred to the sushi, but I think that the slight aroma after the meal enhanced the satisfaction of having had a good meal.
Incidentally, this Hakyoken’s Aburi Engawazu-zushi won the Taste Award at the JR East Ekiben Aji no Jinjin 2017. The Taste Award is given to the ekiben with the highest “taste” rating in the postcard voting. When I had it this time, I was convinced that it was delicious.
© Source travel watch