Odate Kiritanpo Nabe, Grilled Rice in Hinai Chicken Broth
Kiritanpo nabe is an Odate and northern Akita hot pot: partly pounded cooked rice is wrapped around skewers and grilled as tanpo, then cut and simmered with Hinai chicken broth and meat...
At a glance
| Name | Odate Kiritanpo Nabe, Grilled Rice in Hinai Chicken Broth (Kiritanpo Nabe) |
|---|---|
| Prefecture | Akita |
| Region | Hokkaido & Tohoku |
| Type | Grilled pounded-rice cylinders simmered with Hinai chicken and vegetables |
What is it?
Kiritanpo nabe is an Odate and northern Akita hot pot: partly pounded cooked rice is wrapped around skewers and grilled as tanpo, then cut and simmered with Hinai chicken broth and meat, burdock, mushrooms, Japanese long onion and seri (Japanese parsley). The grilled rice absorbs the broth.
Miso-tsuke tanpo stays on its skewer and is grilled with miso. Decide whether you want a served bowl, a freshly grilled skewer or ingredients to cook at home before choosing a stall or kit.
History and local context
Kiritanpo has several origin traditions: charcoal makers and forestry workers used leftover rice in a pot or with miso, while matagi hunters are said to have added leftover rice balls to a pot in the mountains. In Odate, new-rice gatherings and hospitality remain part of its local role. The association lists tanpo, Hinai chicken broth and meat, burdock, mushrooms, onion and seri as its core. Damako mochi uses rounded rice balls, usually without grilling; kiritanpo is grilled on skewers before cutting.
For a meal or takeaway in Odate, use the city’s association directory to distinguish eating, buying and shipping. For a home kit, compare whether it contains only rice skewers or also chicken, broth and vegetables; check servings versus skewer count, concentrated versus ready-to-use broth, seri, chilled or frozen delivery and the expiry date of the delivered goods.
The 54th Odate Kiritanpo Festival, held at Nipro Hachiko Dome on 10–11 October 2026, has ended. The 2026 Nabekko, Fast Tanpo, skewer-grilling and shuttle information belongs to that finished event. Check the organiser’s announcements for the next dates, activities and transport.
How to enjoy it
Read the actual kit’s ingredients, storage, thawing, broth dilution and cooking order first. A rice-only pack needs separately purchased meat, stock and vegetables. Whole skewer count is different from the number of cut pieces.
Odate City’s method cooks chicken, burdock and mushrooms before adding kiritanpo for about 2–3 minutes. That is a guide for this method, not a universal heating time for frozen or packaged foods. Do not shorten chicken cooking or thawing; follow your product’s instructions.
Add long onion and seri toward the finish; serve when the rice has absorbed broth, before it breaks apart. Wash attached seri roots thoroughly and follow the seller’s cooking directions. Compare broth-soaked rice in the hot pot with the grilled surface and miso of a skewer.
Sources and further reading
Order from Japan
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