Nanakusa Gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge)

 The dish is called Nanakusa Gayu, and the rice porridge includes seven kinds of herbs.
 This simple meal hits the spot and helps our tired stomach heal and recover. 

For those of us who live outside of Japan, we can probably find only one or two of the 7 herbs.  It’s would be pretty impossible to find all seven herbs.  You can choose other herbs that are more common (but not too strong and overkill the other herbs):

• Cilantro
• Basil
• Chervil
• Chives
• Fennel
• Mint
• Watercress, etc

Author: Namiko Chen

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

For Rice Porridge

• ¼ cup (50 g) uncooked Japanese short grain rice
• 250 ml water
• Kosher salt to taste

Nanakusa (Seven herbs)

• 1 package of Nanakusa Set (7 herb set) or 7 herbs of your choice, cut into small pieces
• or 1 freeze-dry nanakusa package

You will also need

• Small donabe (earthenware pot) or any heavy bottomed pot (See Note)

Instructions

Make Rice Porridge

1. Add ¼ cup (50 g) short grain rice in a donabe or bowl and rinse under running water while gently rubbing the rice with hands. Repeat until the water runs clear and drain. Soak the rice in the pot for at least 30 minutes and then drain water completely in a strainer for a few minutes.
2. Put the rice back in the donabe or pot and add 250 ml of water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
3. When boiling, lower the heat to the stove’s lowest heat setting (make sure to use the right size of stove burner for your pot size). Open the lid and gently mix with the spoon once, making sure rice is not stuck to the bottom of the pot.
4. Cover the lid and simmer the rice for 25-30 minutes. During this time, don't open the lid or mix the rice (See Note).
5. After 25-30 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steam for 10 minutes. The rice should be soft and thickened.

Make Nanakusa Gayu

1. Add nanakusa (fresh or freeze-dried) and mix gently. Sprinkle salt to taste. Enjoy!

Notes

Prep Time does not include 30 minutes of soaking rice.

Use of Fresh Nanakusa: Blanch in boiling water (with pinch of salt) for a few seconds and let cool in iced water to stop cooking. Drain and squeeze water out. Cut into small pieces. If you cook daikon and kabu, cut into thinly slices and blanch till tender and let cool. Then blanch herbs in the same pot. 

Use of Fresh Nanakusa: Read instruction how much freeze-dried nanakusa you will need for each serving.

Donabe/Heavy Bottom Pot: With the heavy bottomed pot, the heat is not as direct or strong as regular pot, so you can cook rice evenly. 

Cooking Instructions: I follow 1 to 5 rice-to-water ratio for my Okayu recipe. With good size pot, and the lowest heat on the stove, water should not boil over. If you cook with more water or your pot is smaller than my pot, you may want to cover the lid at a slight angle so the water doesn’t boil over. If you are worried, you can quickly peek and make sure there’s enough water so the rice doesn’t burn the bottom of the pot. If necessary, you can stir the pot or add “hot” water. Otherwise, don’t touch the rice because you would end up breaking the nice shape of rice kernels.

Rice-Water Ratio:

Zen-gayu – 1 : 5 (50 grams : 250 ml)
Shichibu-gayu – 1 : 7 (50 grams : 350 ml)
Gobu-gayu – 1 :10 (50 grams : 500 ml)
Sanbu-gayu – 1 : 20 (25 grams : 500 ml)

Using Cooked Rice: 

Add rice and 2-3 times water in the pot. Cook stirring over medium low heat. Adjust the consistency by adding more water.

http://www.justonecookbook.com/nanakusa-gayu-seven-herb-rice-porridge/