It tastes just like what mom used to make.

While souvenir shops are often a great place to pick up a memento from your recent trip, sometimes you can find hidden gems beloved by locals within a local supermarket, adding a little extra dose of “special” to your travels. This is what happened when our Japanese-language reporter Takuya Inaba was wandering around a supermarket in Osaka the other day, when he happened to spot a product with an intriguing name: Paapo.

A powdered seasoning sold by Tamanoi, Paapo is advertised as being used to make the dish called happosai, or babaocai in Chinese. While literally meaning “eight-treasure vegetables,” this Chinese dish can use any assortment of meat, fish, and vegetables in its recipe, so it is by no means limited to eight vegetables. Happosai is typically made by cutting up the ingredients, stir-frying them, and seasoning them with soy sauce and sesame oil. A very beginner-friendly dish, but Paapo makes the process even simpler.

Inside the box were two packets, each containing a serving for three to five people, and all that’s needed to prepare it is just three simple steps.

The back of the box does list off eight example ingredients—pork, squid, Chinese cabbage, bamboo shoot, onion, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and green peppers—however, it does also say you can just use whatever ingredients you’ve got lying around in your fridge, which means it’s great when you realize you’ve forgotten to prepare something ahead of time.

The first step is to take whatever you’ve scavenged from your fridge and chop them up.

Then, stir-fry the ingredients that take longer to heat through on a high heat first.

Once everything has softened up nicely, pour in the Paapo that has been dissolved in 250 milliliters (about 8.8 ounces) of water.

Paapo’s original form is actually a white powder that has a smell that kind of resembles Korean salad dressing.

It dissolves really easily in the water, without leaving any lumps.

Time to pour it in.

Turn the heat down to medium and stir well. Once it thickens, it’s done.

It’s really that simple, it’s practically idiot-proof. Even Takuya, a self-proclaimed “cooking novice” was able to make it beautifully.

Just by looks alone, it seemed to compare favorably when compared to a famous Chinese chain restaurant.

As for the taste? It was absolutely delicious. Given that there were no additional seasonings, Takuya had been kind of worried about it, but it turned out to not be a problem at all.

The faint tanginess that lingers in the aftertaste really adds a nice touch. It was the taste of a professional cook.

The sauce was beautifully thickened too. It could probably taste amazing just poured over plain, white rice, or noodles too.

When he later discussed it with fellow reporter Seiji Nakazawa, who is from Osaka, Seiji mentioned that his mother most likely used to use it when she made happosai. It might be that, for many people in Kansai, the taste of happosai is in fact the taste of Paapo.

After Takuya did a little more digging online, he found that there was a recipe called Milk Paapo Hot Pot on Tamanoi’s official website, so naturally he had to try that too.

The basic steps are the same as the original recipe, but…

…before you add the Paapo, you’re supposed to add milk and let it simmer.

Once it comes to a boil, add the dissolved Paapo, and simmer further on low heat to completion. Just a couple of extra steps and you have an entirely different dish.

It looks exactly like cream stew.

The first taste is very similar to cream stew. However, gradually the Chinese-style flavor starts to come through, almost as if it is a cream stew made by a Chinese restaurant. An absolutely fantastic flavor that’s mild, yet still has a punch.

Takuya later contacted Tamanoi to find out if the product could be purchased in any stores outside Osaka, and the larger Kansai region. It turns out that it is sold in a few stores in east Japan’s Kanto region, but even after hunting around in several local supermarkets, Takuya went home in defeat. It seems there’s still progress to be made until Paapo is nationally renowned. However, if you can’t make it to Kansai, Takuya recommends giving online shopping a try, since it’s definitely worth keeping a stock of in your pantry.

Next time you’re traveling around Japan, be sure to swing by a local supermarket, as you might just find a beloved local food that never makes its way to the tourist shops.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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