【Reading】おびひろのちゅうかちらし

【English Name】Obihirono chuka chirashi

Obihiro's Chuka Chirashi is a popular local food enjoyed in Obihiro City, Hokkaido. It is said to have been devised within Obihiro City in 1970.

Although the name includes "chirashi," it is entirely different from chirashi-zushi and uses no vinegared rice at all. Ingredients such as shrimp, squid, green beans, ham, egg, and bean sprouts are stir-fried together in a frying pan, finished with a sweet soy-sauce-based sauce, and served on top of rice arranged on a plate. It can be classified as a kind of "kake-meshi" (topping-over-rice dish) created with the same concept as chuka-don (Chinese-style rice bowl) or Cantonese-style rice.

About 30 Chinese restaurants in Obihiro City have this dish on their menu, and locals sometimes simply abbreviate it as "chirashi." It is generally served with red pickled ginger (beni-shoga) and Japanese mustard (wa-garashi) as accompaniments, along with a light, tangy salt-and-pepper-based soup or a wakame seaweed soup, and a small dish of takuan (pickled radish). The standard style is to eat it using both a spoon and chopsticks.

Each shop has its own individuality in ingredients and seasoning; for example, the long-established Bichinro does not add red pickled ginger, so variations can also be enjoyed. Its nationwide recognition rose after it was featured on "Himitsu no Kenmin SHOW" broadcast in 2009.