Nanakusa-Gayu

On the 7th of January in japan (jinjitsu) it is custom to make a seven herb rice porridge Nanakusa Gayu 七草粥 to help heal the stomach after the New Year festivities. It is quite common in japan if you have an unwell stomach to eat Okayu rice porridge. The 7th of January is one of the 5 seasonal festivals the porridge is said to prevent illness for the coming year. The herbs used in japan are waterdrop wort,shepherds purse,cudweed,chickweed,nipplewort,turnip and daikon radish. As I live in the UK I have had to substitute for herbs I could find. I used watercress,rocket,mizuna,chive,coriander,daikon radish and parsley a mixture of these. I made a kombu dashi kombu and shiitake soaked in water over night and cooked up already cooked Japanese rice in the dashi with a 1-5 ratio. Simmer for around 30 mins and then mix in your herbs and steam for 10 .Or you can just put the herbs on top and mix them into the warm rice. I like to add some sautéed daikon radish and if you have any left overs miso is nice to add also with some chopped onion and sesame seeds. Wishing everyone good health this 2018 !