Smoking and sun drying are great ways to preserve foods from going waste.
Not only to save foods, but to concentrate the flavors also.
Ancient people created these methods because they didn’t have refrigerator to keep foods cool back then.
That is exactly how “Hoshiniku” was born.
Hoshi means dried and niku means meat in Japanese. So it literally means dried meat.
It is almost like beef jerky but more moist and juicy.
I am born and raised in Japan, but I’ve never even heard of it until I had a chance to visit Okayama the other day.
Okayama’s local product Hoshiniku is well known and eaten in the area from olden times.
You can easily find it at butchers or grocery stores.
The difference from well known beef jerky is that you can’t eat it right out of packages.
You need to follow a few steps before you bite into it. Nothing difficult though.
All you need is to cut them into thin slices, then grill them on a pan for a few minutes or so. Done. No oil needed because meat itself is fatty.
You can dip it into mayonnaise, soy sauce, wasabi, or anything as you like.
It is so chewy and flavorful.
Here is fried rice I made with Hoshiniku and garlic.
I simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and a drop of soy sauce.
It is so good that I cannot stop eating!
I am glad that I find out about Hoshiniku after all these years living in Japan.
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