Processed nanakusa food

Abstract

To make it easy to eat Nanakusa Porridge which is eaten as an event food and is also a medicinal dish whose eating period is limited.SOLUTION: To provide a processed Nanakusa food obtained by combining a dried product of Nanakusa containing the underground part of Nanakusa and a seasoning capable of enhancing the taste of Nanakusa and making it easy to eat. By mixing the Nanakusa processed foods with rice gruel or boiled rice, the new medicinal dish having the original figure, color and taste of the Nanakusa Porridge with the Nanakusa Porridge as a prototype, simple and easy to eat can be eaten as instant foods.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a processed food made from seven edible plants used in rice porridge with seven herbs. [Background technology]

[0002] Seven kinds of plants, including parsley, shepherd's purse, gogyo, chickweed, ambrosia, turnip, and radish, are edible as the "Seven Herbs of Spring." These "Seven Herbs of Spring" are chopped and cooked with rice to make "Seven Herbs Rice Porridge," which has been eaten during the New Year period (January 7th).

[0003] Nanakusa-gayu is a ceremonial dish eaten on Jinjitsu (January 7th), the first of the five seasonal festivals of the year, to pray for good health. Because each of the seven herbs possesses medicinal properties such as detoxification and anti-inflammatory properties, it is also a type of medicinal food that can soothe the stomach tired from New Year's cuisine. Young seven herbs (young shoots) have been used in nanakusa-gayu, with the hope of incorporating the vitality of plants. Using young shoots of the seven herbs is not only auspicious, as mentioned above, but also has a practical significance, as they are easy to eat even for those who do not like medicinal food. Most seven herbs become hard and bitter after they pass the young shoot stage (known as seedlings or early growth stage), making them difficult to eat, but young shoots are soft and easy to eat.

[0004] In this way, nanakusa-gayu is popular as an easy-to-eat medicinal dish for special occasions. However, some of the seven spring herbs used in nanakusa-gayu, such as gogyo and henbit, are not commonly cultivated as agricultural crops and are instead picked from the wild after they germinate and grow naturally. For this reason, it is not easy to obtain the seven spring herbs in urban areas.

[0005] The inventor of the present application wanted to continue the tradition of eating Nanakusa-gayu in the midst of advancing urbanization, and in 1983 began selling fresh sets of the seven spring herbs as New Year's food in the basement food section of the former Hanshin Department Store, which was known as a place where the most cutting-edge and cutting-edge food in Kansai was gathered.

[0006] When the sale of the seven spring herbs set as fresh produce first began, it attracted attention as an innovative attempt, and since then, fresh and processed products of the seven spring herbs set, which are difficult to obtain in urban areas, have been provided. For example, freeze-dried processed products of the seven spring herbs have been proposed (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 6-68489 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The seven herbs of spring, a ceremonial food during the New Year period, are originally made from young shoots and eaten fresh. The seven herbs of spring in particular have medicinal properties, and some are wild herbs. Therefore, even if the rice porridge made with fresh young shoots is colorful, fragrant, and easy to eat, if it is cooked too long, or if the herbs used are of poor quality or freshness, or if it is processed, the original appeal is often lost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In response to this problem, the present inventors have developed a processed food product using dried spring herbs that has the color and aroma of rice porridge made with fresh young buds of seven herbs.

[0010] (1) A processed food containing dried seven herbs, which are made by chopping and drying the above-ground parts of the seven herbs: parsley, shepherd's purse, gogyo, chickweed, henbit, turnip, and radish, as well as the underground part of shepherd's purse. (2) The dried seven herbs are the above-ground parts of parsley, shepherd's purse, Japanese goby, chickweed, henbit, turnip, and Japanese radish, which have passed the early stage of growth and whose above-ground parts are less than 80% of the mature plant, and are chopped and dried. (1) The seven-herb processed food (3) The dried seven herbs are bright green dried seven herbs with a Lab value a value of less than 0, obtained by blanching immature young plants from the middle stage of growth onwards, with a height of 15 cm or more for turnips and radishes, 10 cm or more for water dropwort, shepherd's purse, Japanese goby, and chickweed, and 3 cm or more for ambrosia, in water of 80°C or higher and then drying them. (4) The dried fresh green seven herbs product is an aromatic dried fresh green seven herbs product having a fragrance equal to or greater than the standard fragrance in a sensitivity test in which the standard fragrance is the state of the seven herbs when harvested. A processed seven herb food according to any one of (1) to (3). (5) A processed product of seven herbs according to any one of (1) to (4), which contains 0.5 g or more of the dried seven herbs and 1 g to 3 g of a dried seasoning, and which is individually packaged without being mixed. (6) The seven-herb processed food of (5), wherein the dried seasoning is dried miso. (7) The seven-herb processed food according to (5) or (6) is a chemically synthesized substance-free seven-herb processed food that does not contain any chemically synthesized substances, including chemically synthesized coloring agents and flavoring agents.

[0011] This application is an invention completed upon the discovery that a processed food of seven herbs fragrant like fresh seven herbs can be obtained by chopping and drying the above-ground parts of the seven herbs (water dropwort, shepherd's purse, barley, chickweed, henbit, turnip, and Japanese radish) and the underground parts of shepherd's purse. The processed food of seven herbs according to application (1) is obtained by separating the above-ground parts from the underground parts of the seven herbs other than shepherd's purse and chopping and drying only the above-ground parts, and by chopping and drying both the above-ground and underground parts of shepherd's purse.

[0012] Furthermore, while young buds have traditionally been used for the seven herbs in the rice porridge of seven herbs eaten on January 7th, in this application (2) the seven herbs are used that have grown beyond the young bud stage (i.e., from the middle stage of growth onwards). Generally, plants used for food are considered to be young buds (seedlings or seedlings) in the early stages of growth until the above-ground parts (stems and leaves) grow from the underground parts (roots) and the length of the above-ground parts (plant height) reaches about 5-10% of the size of the mature plant (about 5-6 true leaves).

[0013] Among the seven herbs of spring, turnip (suzuna) and radish (suzushiro) grow to a height of about 30-40cm above ground and have 40-50 true leaves when mature. Water dropwort, shepherd's purse, Japanese gogyo, and chickweed grow to a height of about 10-20cm above ground and have stems with about 10-20 true leaves and flower stalks bearing flower buds when mature. Leptolepis amplexicaule (Lamium amplexicaule) grows to a height of about 10cm above ground and has stems with about 10 true leaves and flower stalks growing between them.

[0014] In the present specification, the term "seedling" or "young shoot" refers to a state in which the above-ground parts (stems and leaves) have grown from the underground parts (roots), the plant height is 5-10% of the mature height, and the plant has about 3-5 true leaves, and it is treated as a seedling when transplanted (planted). In the present specification (2), the raw material is the above-ground part in the middle of growth, which has passed the young shoot (seedling) stage, has reached about 10-80%, preferably about 40-60%, of the mature plant height, has passed the early stage of growth but is not yet mature, and is in the middle to late stage of growth (referred to in the present specification as "post-seedling herb").

[0015] For example, for turnips and radishes, a height of about 15-20 cm is suitable for use as a seedling-exceeding plant, where the underground parts begin to grow in earnest and are "thinned out." For water dropwort, shepherd's purse, Chinese laurel, and chickweed, a height of about 10-15 cm is suitable for use as a seedling-exceeding plant when no flower stalks have formed. For ambrosia henbits, a height of 3-10 cm is suitable for use as a seedling-exceeding plant when no flower stalks have formed. In this specification, "plant height" refers to the length from the base of the plant to the tip of the aboveground part extending from the base.

[0016] As mentioned above, it is preferable to chop the underground and above-ground parts of shepherd's purse into a dried product. In the case of shepherd's purse, the underground parts are generally about 10 cm to 20 cm long, but the underground parts only need to account for about 20 to 60% by weight of the above-ground parts, and in terms of length, the above-ground parts should be about 5 cm to 10 cm long per plant. The thin underground parts, known as "root fibers," may be removed before use. The underground and above-ground parts of shepherd's purse may be chopped while still connected, or a section of about a few millimeters (about 2 mm to 10 mm) between the above-ground and underground parts may be removed before chopping.

[0017] Fresh seedlings should be chopped into pieces of approximately 0.5 to 3 cm, preferably approximately 1 cm, and then blanched in water at 80°C or higher before drying. Blanching should be done for one to several seconds, followed by cooling in cold water. This treatment removes impurities and sterilizes the material, resulting in a more vibrant green color. The blanched seedlings are then dried. The drying method is not limited as long as care is taken to preserve the color and aroma of the blanched seedlings. Methods such as air drying and freeze-drying are acceptable. Freeze-drying allows for a low moisture content (approximately 3%), improving storage and reconstitution, and resulting in a brighter color for the dried product. Air-drying, on the other hand, results in a higher moisture content than freeze-drying, but the moisture content is approximately 5% or less. This provides similar storage stability to freeze-drying, and the dried product has a darker color. If you air dry it, it is best to use warm air at a low temperature (for example, between 40°C and 80°C) to bring out the fragrance.

[0018] According to the present invention, naengmyeon (seven herb rice porridge), which is normally made with fresh young shoots, can be made with the dried above-ground parts of young plants that are in the mid-to-post-maturity stage and before maturity, and the dried underground parts of shepherd's purse, instead of young shoots, to produce an instant naengmyeon that has the flavor of naengmyeon made with fresh young shoots. Furthermore, by using young plants that are in the post-post-post-maturity stage for the above-ground parts of the seven plants that make up the naengmyeon, it becomes easier to secure and handle the raw materials needed to manufacture naengmyeon-processed products.

[0019] In other words, if young shoots are used as ingredients for processed seven-herb products, the flavor will be weaker when they are dried. Furthermore, because young shoots are smaller than young seedlings, harvesting and washing them requires more work. Furthermore, since the seven herbs are traditionally chopped into small pieces when preparing rice porridge, the processed seven herbs of this application use chopped dried seven herbs. However, because young shoots are small and soft, they are difficult to chop mechanically.

[0020] On the other hand, because young seedlings have larger, firmer stems than young shoots, they are easier to chop mechanically and easier to wash and remove impurities such as soil between the stems. Furthermore, when dried, young seedlings can enhance the flavor of the seven herbs compared to when young shoots are used. On the other hand, because young seedlings are not yet mature, they avoid the unpleasant taste and bitterness that can be a problem when using mature plants, and can maintain a refreshing and gorgeous fragrance. Furthermore, in this application, the underground parts of shepherd's purse are also dried and included, making it easier to sense the characteristic scent of the seven herbs.

[0021] In the fifth aspect, dried seven herbs are combined with dried seasonings, and when the processed seven herbs are mixed with rice cooked with this processed seven herbs food, "variegated seven herbs" rice porridge or yuzuke (soup in hot water) can be made instantly. When the seven herbs of spring are eaten as "nanakusa-gayu," they are normally prepared as plain rice porridge. However, the present invention makes it possible to prepare "variegated seven herbs rice porridge" by adding flavor with seasonings, which makes it easy to eat while still retaining the flavor of nanakusa-gayu, and allows it to be eaten easily as a processed product rather than as a fresh product.

[0022] In the fifth embodiment, the dried seven herbs should preferably be 0.5g to 3g with a moisture content of 5% or less (generally 2-4%), and the dried seasoning should preferably be 2g to 4g with a similar moisture content. The two are preferably packed into a single small bag and sealed without being mixed. In particular, the amount of turnip, radish, Japanese parsley, chickweed, and shepherd's purse should be 0.2g to 0.8g, preferably about 0.3g. Of these five herbs, it is preferable that turnip and Japanese radish account for more than 50%. On the other hand, it is preferable that gogyo and henbits account for 1% to 10%, preferably about 5%, of the total amount of dried seven herbs. This is because turnip and radish have a good taste, and Japanese parsley, shepherd's purse, and chickweed have a pleasant fragrance, while gogyo and henbits are difficult to eat.

[0023] The seven-herb processed food according to the present application is an instant processed food produced by drying and ready to eat, and is preferably added in neither too much nor too little to rice porridge, yuzuke (soup in hot water), etc. The above blending ratio is such that when the individually packaged seven-herb processed food according to (5) is sprinkled on a bowl of cooked rice, the balance of the seven herbs and the seasonings is just right. In other words, with the seven-herb processed food according to (5), an appropriate amount of dried seven herbs and seasonings, neither too much nor too little, can be used for a bowl of cooked rice without measuring. The seven-herb processed food according to (5) packs the dried seven herbs and the dried seasoning into a single small bag without mixing them, thereby avoiding the hassle of packing the dried seven herbs and the seasoning in separate small bags and opening them, while reducing the risk of the dried seasoning penetrating into the dried seven herbs and damaging the flavor during storage of the seven-herb processed product. However, the present invention also includes an embodiment in which one serving of dried seven herbs and one serving of dried seasoning are packed in separate small bags.

[0024] The seasoning is preferably one with a flavor that brings out the color and aroma of the dried seven herbs, for example, dried miso, which is embodiment (6). The seasoning is also preferably light in color, and when miso is used as the seasoning, it is recommended that white miso account for 50% or more of the total seasoning, and blended miso account for 20% or more of the total seasoning. Using the processed seven herbs food according to embodiment (6), miso-flavored seven herb rice porridge or yuzuke (pork porridge with miso) can be made ready to eat. In embodiment (6) where miso-flavored variations of the seven herbs are prepared, seasonings other than miso may be included. Seasonings that can be used in place of or mixed with miso are preferably those derived from ingredients used in dashi, such as kelp.

[0025] The young seedlings of the seven herbs and the underground parts of shepherd's purse are pre-blanched in water at 80°C or higher, preferably by cooling them in water while still hot after blanching, to achieve the vibrant green color (excluding the underground parts of shepherd's purse) and aroma they exhibit when used in naengusa-gayu (rice porridge). Therefore, by pre-treating the seven herbs using the raw materials described above and drying them, a processed product can be obtained that reproduces the color and aroma enjoyed in naengusa-gayu, a ceremonial dish. Specifically, in terms of color, the Lab value measured using a colorimeter should result in an a-value, an index of green color intensity, of less than 0 (i.e., a negative value), particularly -5 or less, and more preferably -15 or less. Therefore, a dried product obtained by the above-described process and having an a-value of less than 0 is preferably used in the present application (3) as a "bright green dried product of the seven herbs."

[0026] Furthermore, with regard to aroma, it is preferable that the seven herbs before blanching be used as the standard, and that the sensitivity test result be equal to or greater than the standard aroma. Therefore, of the dried products obtained by the above-mentioned processing, those determined to have an aroma equal to or greater than the standard in the sensitivity test can be selected as "fragrant dried seven herbs" and suitably used in the present application (4). Dried seven herbs that have the color properties specified in (3) and the aroma properties specified in (4) can be particularly suitably used in the present application as "fragrant fresh green dried seven herbs."

[0027] By selecting the right ingredients and devising the processing steps, the fresh green dried seven herbs, fragrant dried seven herbs, and fragrant fresh green dried seven herbs can reproduce the color and / or aroma of rice porridge when rehydrated in hot water. Therefore, the processed seven herbs food of the present invention does not require any substances (e.g., colorings or flavorings) other than the dried seven herbs to express the color and aroma of the herbs. In particular, chemically synthesized colorings, flavorings, seasonings, preservatives, and other additives consisting of chemically synthesized substances impart flavors, such as color and aroma, that are different from the flavor of the processed seven herbs food prepared according to the above-mentioned procedures. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application (7), both the seasonings and the dried seven herbs are produced from naturally derived ingredients, and a processed seven herb food that is free of synthetic chemicals and is free of artificial additives is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to the present invention, the seven herbs of spring, which have traditionally been eaten as a ceremonial food for the New Year, can be made into a readily available instant food. Furthermore, it is possible to make a modified seven-herb rice porridge or a yuzuke (porridge with hot water) that is easy to eat even for those unfamiliar with medicinal cuisine, while retaining the flavor and aroma that evokes the medicinal properties of the seven herbs prepared using the seven herbs of spring, including wild herbs with medicinal properties. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a processed food is provided that has the color and flavor of the seven herbs of spring, which are eaten as fresh foods, without using any additives other than the seven herbs and seasonings, particularly chemically synthesized colorings and flavorings, and the original taste and aroma of the seven herbs of spring can be enjoyed as an instant medicinal cuisine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples of the present invention. Example 1: The above-ground parts of chickweed, Chinese laurel, Chinese lantern plant, Japanese parsley, Japanese radish, and turnip were harvested when they were more than seedlings but not yet mature. For shepherd's purse, plants that were more than seedlings but not yet mature were pulled out from the underground parts to obtain the above-ground and underground parts. For Japanese parsley, Japanese radish, turnip, and shepherd's purse, the above-ground parts were harvested when they were about 15 cm tall. For Chinese laurel and chickweed, the above-ground parts were harvested when they were about 7 to 10 cm tall, and for Chinese lantern plant, the above-ground parts were harvested when they were about 3 cm tall, from the middle stage of growth onwards.

[0030] The harvested seven herbs were chopped into pieces of about 1cm for the parts near the roots and stems, and 1-3cm for the parts of the leaves and leaf tips, then boiled and dipped in water maintained at over 80°C, then dipped in cold water, and then dried in a dryer using hot air at 60°C. For shepherd's purse, the area between the above-ground and underground parts was cut at intervals of about 5mm, and the underground part was used from the part closest to the above-ground, with the root hairs from the underground part also removed.

[0031] For 2g of the dried seven herbs obtained, the Lab values ​​of the most commonly seen green part (standard green A), the part that is a brighter green than A (bright green B), and the part that is a duller green than B (dark green C) were measured using a smartphone equipped with an app that can measure Lab values. The measured Lab values ​​a were -26 for A, -32 for B, and -16 for C. Furthermore, in a sensitivity test using the pre-harvest state as the standard, it was found that the aroma was equal to or better than the standard aroma. Dried white miso, mixed miso, and kelp tea were also prepared as seasonings.

[0032] The dried seven herbs and dried seasonings were placed in 3g each in transparent plastic film without being mixed, and the air was removed to prevent mixing, then the film was sealed and individually packaged. The 3g of dried seasonings consisted of 2g of dried white miso, 1.5g of dried mixed miso, and 0.5g of dried kelp tea.

[0033] This individually packaged product was mixed with a bowl of cooked white rice and poured over with hot water to make a yuzuke (soaked in water). In a sensitivity test using the pre-harvest state as the standard, the yuzuke was found to have an aroma equal to or better than the standard aroma. When the Lab values ​​of the greens in the yuzuke (seven herbs) were measured in three areas - the most common green, a brighter green, and a duller green - the a values ​​were -28, -38, and -18.

Claims

1. This processed food contains dried seven herbs, which are made by chopping and drying the above-ground parts of parsley, shepherd's purse, gogyo, chickweed, henbit, turnip, and radish, and the underground part of shepherd's purse, which make up the seven herbs.

2. The dried seven herbs are obtained by chopping and drying immature seedlings of parsley, shepherd's purse, Japanese goby, chickweed, chickweed, turnip, and Japanese radish, which have passed the early stage of growth and whose above-ground parts account for 80% or less of the mature plant.

3. The dried seven herbs are bright green dried seven herbs with a Lab value a value of less than 0, obtained by blanching immature seedlings from the middle or later stage of growth, with a height of 15 cm or more for turnips and radishes, 10 cm or more for water parsley, shepherd's purse, Japanese goby and chickweed, and 3 cm or more for chickweed, in water at 80°C or higher and then drying.

4. 4. The seven-herb processed food according to claim 3, wherein the dried fresh green seven herbs are fragrant dried fresh green seven herbs having a fragrance equal to or greater than the standard fragrance in a sensitivity test in which the standard fragrance is the seven herbs in their harvested state.

5. 5. The processed seven-herb product according to claim 1, which contains 0.5 g or more of the dried seven herbs and 1 g to 3 g of a dried seasoning, and the two are individually packaged without being mixed together.

6. 6. The seven-herb processed food according to claim 5, wherein the dried seasoning is dried miso paste obtained by drying miso paste.

7. 6. The seven-herb processed food according to claim 5, wherein the seven-herb processed food is a chemically synthetic substance-free seven-herb processed food that does not contain any chemically synthetic substances including chemically synthesized coloring agents and flavoring agents.