In Asahikawa City, in addition to gourmet foods like ramen, there is a hidden soul food. The origin of this dish can be traced back to a restaurant called "Hanachan". The appearance of the place, showing its age, gives a sense of its longstanding love from the locals.
The soul food you can enjoy here is the "Geso Donburi". It's a unique dish characterized by a large amount of squid tentacles, which at first glance appear to be fried, served over rice. Originally, it was created as a snack for the owner's husband, Mr. Aoyama, but there were various trials and errors until it became a donburi dish.
One of the significant improvements was deciding not to deep fry. The squid tentacles coated with potato starch are prepared by cooking them in a frying pan, a unique method that allows the sauce to coat them well while keeping the tentacles soft. The donburi with squid tentacles covered in a sweet and spicy sauce is excellent and, combined with its affordability, is enjoyed by many.
Highlights
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Hanachan, the origin of Asahikawa's hidden soul food.
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The "Geso Donburi" characterized by a large amount of squid tentacles served over rice.
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The squid tentacles, prepared using a unique method, pair perfectly with the sauce and rice.