After indulgence of New Year feast during Japanese New Year celebration, Nanakusa Gayu 
or seven herb rice porridge is enjoyed on January 7 in Japan allowing our stomachs to recover. 

Nanakusa Gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge)

INGREDIENTS

For Rice Porridge

• ¼ cup uncooked Japanese short grain rice (1/4 cup = 50 g)
• 250 ml water (250 ml = 1 cup + 1 Tbsp)
• salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt) (to taste)

Nanakusa (Seven herbs)

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

INSTRUCTIONS

Make Rice Porridge

1. Add 1/4 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!

RECIPE NOTES

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 Freeze-Dry Nanakusa: Read instruction how much freeze-dried nanakusa you will need for each serving.

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.

Equipment you will need:

• Small Donabe(earthenware pot)/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.

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