Hey everyone! It’s Zundamon, nanoda!

September is almost over, nanoda. The air in Tohoku totally feels like autumn now, nanoda 🍁

And when you think of autumn in Tohoku, there’s only one thing to do, nanoda.

An Imoni Party (Imonikai), nanoda! 🍲

We all gather by the river, make a taro stew in a giant pot, and eat it together, nanoda.

It’s a huge autumn event in Tohoku that people do at school, at work, and with their neighborhood associations, nanoda.

This year, everyone from Zunda Union went out to the river for a taste test between Sendai-style and Yamagata inland-style, nanoda!

🍲 So, What’s an Imoni Party Anyway, Nanoda?

An imoni party is a gathering where you make and eat imoni from a giant pot outdoors, nanoda.

The star of the show is taro. You add meat and vegetables to it and let it simmer, nanoda.

The important part isn’t the “dish” but the “party,” nanoda.

The person who chops the firewood, the person who watches the fire, the person who tastes it, and the person who just eats nonstop (that’s me).

The roles just naturally get divided up, and before you know it, everyone’s become good friends, nanoda.

Lady Zunko: “For people in Tohoku, it’s just something we naturally do when autumn comes.”

Itako-neesan: “…When we bring out the pot, I know autumn is here.”

⚔️ Sendai-Style vs. Yamagata Inland-Style: They’re So Different, Nanoda!

This is where we get to the main topic, nanoda.

Depending on the region, the seasoning and the meat in imoni are completely different, nanoda.

I made a chart of the two most famous types, which are also featured on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ “Our Local Cuisine” website, nanoda.

You Can’t Just Lump All of Yamagata in as “Soy Sauce and Beef,” Nanoda

This is something I learned for the first time, too, nanoda.

Even within Yamagata Prefecture, the Shonai region uses pork and miso, nanoda.

So, it’s not correct to say “Yamagata-style,” it’s “Yamagata inland-style,” nanoda.

Metan: “The culture is different by region, not by prefectural borders. If you lump them all together, you erase someone’s ’taste of home’.”

Zundamon: “Metan, you’re so cool today, nanoda.”

Metan: “I’m cool every day.”

🐷 Lady Zunko’s Sendai-Style (Miso & Pork)

First up is Lady Zunko’s pot, nanoda.

Ingredients (for a large pot, serves approx. 6)

• Taro: 1kg
• Pork belly: 400g
• Daikon radish, carrots, burdock root, konjac, long green onions, mushrooms: to taste
• Dashi stock: 2L
• Miso: around 150g (adjust to taste)

Instructions

1. Peel the taro and lightly rinse off the sliminess, nanoda.
2. Simmer the taro and burdock root in the dashi stock. Once they’re soft, add the pork, nanoda.
3. Add the rest of the vegetables and the konjac. When they’re cooked through, dissolve the miso into the soup, nanoda.
4. Finally, sprinkle the long green onions on top, and it’s done, nanoda!

Lady Zunko: “Add the miso last, okay? If you boil it too long, it loses its aroma.”

I took one bite and felt so relieved, nanoda.

It has a gentle flavor, like tonjiru packed with lots of taro, nanoda 💚

🐄 Itako-neesan’s Yamagata Inland-Style (Soy Sauce & Beef)

Next up is Itako-neesan’s pot, nanoda.

Ingredients (for a large pot, serves approx. 6)

• Taro: 1kg
• Beef (thinly sliced): 400g
• Konjac: 1-2 blocks (torn by hand)
• Long green onions, mushrooms: to taste
• Dashi stock: 2L
• Soy sauce: around 150ml / Sugar: 3 tbsp / Sake: 100ml

Instructions

1. Simmer the taro in the dashi stock, and tear the konjac by hand to add it in, nanoda.
2. Once the taro is soft, season it with the soy sauce, sugar, and sake, nanoda.
3. Add the beef, separating the slices as you go, and skim off any scum, nanoda.
4. Finally, add the long green onions and cook them briefly, and it’s done, nanoda!

Itako-neesan: “…Don’t use a knife on the konjac. Tearing it by hand helps it absorb more flavor.”

This one is sweet and savory, and the fat from the beef coats the taro, nanoda.

Even though it’s the same taro, it’s like a completely different dish, nanoda.

The verdict? I can’t decide, nanoda. I had seconds of both, nanoda.

🔥 The Division of Labor Was Amazing, Nanoda

The imoni party starts with the prep work, nanoda.

• Tohoku Kiritan… Firewood duty. She said she had no stamina from playing too many games, but she was the best at starting the fire, nanoda.
• Shikoku Metan… Commander-in-chief of heat control. She managed the temperature of both pots at the same time, nanoda.
• Ankomon… Said, “I didn’t come here to help, mon,” but peeled all the taro anyway, nanoda.
• Deltamon… In charge of dessert. Said, “You may leave it to me, you know,” and then almost fell into the river, nanoda.
• Kyuurin… Silently stacked the firewood and built a perfectly shaped bonfire, nanoda 🥒
• Zundadon… Yelled, “We don’t have imoni in the southern lands, dadon!” and ate three bowls, nanoda.

And I appointed myself the taste-tester and got scolded for it, nanoda.

🍛 The Finisher is Udon, and… Curry, Nanoda!

The true climax of imoni is the finisher, nanoda.

You add udon noodles to the leftover broth. That’s the classic way, nanoda.

But in Yamagata, they have one more trick up their sleeves, nanoda.

They add curry roux, nanoda.

Curry roux in a soy sauce and beef broth. With udon noodles.

Apparently, it’s become a pretty standard way to eat it in recent years, nanoda.

Zundamon: “…Are you really putting that in, nanoda?”

Itako-neesan: “…I am.”

Kiritan: “Whoa, this is super delicious!”

When I tried it, it was seriously amazing, nanoda.

The sweetness of the beef and the aroma of the curry mixed together, turning it into a completely new dish, nanoda 🍛

🌟 Summary, Nanoda!

• An imoni party is an autumn event in Tohoku where everyone gathers by a river to eat from a giant pot, nanoda.
• Sendai (Miyagi) style uses miso and pork. It’s mellow and similar to tonjiru, nanoda.
• Yamagata inland (Murayama) style uses soy sauce and beef. It’s sweet and savory, similar to sukiyaki, nanoda.
• Even in Yamagata, the Shonai region uses pork and miso. It’s important not to lump them all together, nanoda.
• The finisher is udon noodles. In Yamagata, adding curry roux is also a classic, nanoda.

So, I want to ask all of you, nanoda.

What flavor is the imoni in your hometown?

What kind of meat? What do you add for the finisher, nanoda?

If you’d like, please let me know on X (Zunda Union), nanoda.

If we collect everyone’s “This is how we do it,” I feel like we could make a map of Japan with it, nanoda 💚

You can see Lady Zunko at Tohoku Zunko, Itako-neesan at Tohoku Itako, and all the members on the Character Introduction page, nanoda.

Let’s meet by the river again next year, nanoda~! 🍲