A Warm Bowl of Comfort: Discovering Okayu, Japan's Beloved Rice Porridge

Known in Chinese cuisine as congee and in Japanese cuisine as okayu, rice porridge is one of Asia’s most interesting dishes. This warm and satisfying comfort food is the perfect remedy for a cold or hangover. In Japan, it’s often served to sick and elderly people.

Let’s explore okayu, Japan’s traditional rice porridge. We’ll reveal what sets it apart from China’s congee, its many health benefits, and its basic home recipe.

What is Okayu?

Okayu, or simply kayu, is a Japanese rice porridge dish. It’s often eaten as comforting and restoring food because of its easily digestible nature. The dish is prepared by slow-cooking rice in a large quantity of water. Unlike the regular white rice dish, which requires a water-to-rice ratio of no greater than 2:1, okayu is made with a ratio of at least 5:1 (zen-gayu). There are recipes that use a ratio as high as 20:1 (sanbu-gayu).

Cooking rice in so much liquid creates the famous okayu texture, which is soft and comforting. It also makes the dish easier to digest and gives it a mild taste. Hence, okayu is an ideal meal for babies, sick people, and the elderly. To maintain its mild taste, this simple Japanese porridge is typically topped with light ingredients.

Okayu is not the only rice porridge in the world, as China, Korea, Cambodia, Myanmar, Taiwan, Hungary, Portugal, and many other countries all have their own versions of the dish. The Chinese version, named congee, is the most popular one, and we’ll explain how it differs from okayu soon.

The Origins of Japanese Rice Porridge

Okayu was not invented in Japan, despite its cultural impact on the country. Rice porridge originated in China and was introduced to Japan as congee about 1,000 years ago. Some time in the Edo period (1603-1868), the texture of the dish was adapted, creating the Japanese-style rice porridge we know today as okayu.

People in the Kanto region, including Tokyo, started the trend of eating okayu as a healing food. In the Kanto region, particularly Kyoto, the rice porridge was mostly considered a breakfast meal with some cultural significance. It retains a lot of this significance today. For example, a variation of the dish, which is made with special herbs, is eaten on January 7 every new year. Another variation containing soybeans is offered to the gods during Kyoto’s Okayu Festival in the Sakyo ward.

How is Okayu Different from Congee?

Okayu shares undeniable similarities with its Chinese counterpart, congee. However, certain attributes differentiate them. For one, okayu is thicker than congee because it uses a smaller water-to-rice ratio. The typical ratio for congee is higher than 8:1, which is significantly larger than that of okayu (around 5:1).

Both dishes also play different roles in their respective countries. In China, congee is an everyday meal eaten for its flavor and the satisfaction it brings. However, in Japan, people eat it less frequently, and when they do, it usually serves as a healing comfort food, with little to no emphasis on flavor. Typical ingredients and toppings for congee include meats, seafood, and flavorful vegetables. Okayu toppings tend to be simpler and lighter. You may choose to eat the Japanese rice porridge plain or top it with vegetables and seafood. Umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum), salmon, green onion, and nori seaweed are fantastic toppings.

Health Benefits of Eating Okayu

We’ve already mentioned that rice porridge is a healing food that’s ideal for sick and elderly people. Now, it’s time to reveal why. The following are the health benefits of okayu, the Japanese congee:

1. Highly digestible: The fact that okayu is a soft and tender grain soup makes it easier to digest than most dishes. The dish also supports proper functioning of the Spleen Qi, which plays a vital role in digestion. Okayu’s high digestibility makes it a popular meal for the elderly, children, and people experiencing constipation.

2. Provides warm comfort: Japanese rice porridge has a soothing and restorative warmth that can help sick people get better. It can relieve nasal congestion, reduce inflammation, and restore energy. The rice broth performs a similar function to warm soup, which is often recommended to people suffering from colds or flu.

3. Hydrates the body: The rice grains absorb a large amount of water during the slow-cooking process. Hence, okayu is filled with healthy fluids, making it the perfect way to rehydrate the body through food. 

4. Low in calories: Although filling and satisfying, okayu is low in calories and cholesterol. By incorporating it into your diet, you can manage your weight and shed excess fat.

Traditional Okayu Ingredients

The traditional okayu recipe has only three core ingredients: rice, water, and salt. There are some variations that don’t contain salt. However, a small amount of salt brings flavor to the meal. Your okayu is still considered plain if you include salt in it. Japanese short grain rice, or hakumai, is the traditional rice option for the dish. However, feel free to use Japanese medium-grain rice as an alternative. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even try brown rice. Sometimes water is replaced entirely or partially by dashi (Japanese soup stock), miso seasoning, or chicken stock.

Toppings in traditional okayu are optional. Even when they appear, they often do so as simple, everyday Japanese ingredients like umeboshi (pickled plums), spring onions, seaweed, mitsuba (Japanese parsley), and toasted sesame seeds. Umeboshi is arguably the most popular okayu topping. It adds a distinct salty and sour taste to the dish. Some people use it as an alternative to salt in rice porridge recipes.

Nori seaweed is another common topping. It’s often used as a way to grace the meal with umami-rich flavors. For this dish, nori is favored ahead of other seaweed options, like kombu and wakame.

Traditionally, okayu is prepared using a Japanese-style earthenware pot known as a donabe. This tool is an ideal choice because of how well it retains heat and evenly distributes it during the slow-cooking process.

How to Make Okayu at Home

Making okayu is easy with a cook time of 70-75 minutes, especially if you follow our simple guide. If you don’t have a donabe, you can use a heavy-bottomed pot (regular or instant) or a rice cooker. Follow these steps to make the dish:

1. Wash or rinse the rice if you haven’t already.

2. Pour the rice in a pot of water. You want to use a water-to-rice ratio of at least 5:1. You can add more water for a lighter dish or use dashi instead for a more flavorful meal.

3. Allow the pot of water and rice to sit for half an hour.

4. Cover the pot and put it over medium-high heat until the contents begin to boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the rice to simmer for another half hour.

5. With the cover still on, remove the pot from heat and allow its contents to steam for 10 minutes.

6. Season the rice to taste with salt and serve it in individual rice bowls.

7. Add toppings to the side.

Popular Variations of Okayu

There are many different versions of okayu. In this section, we’ll explore the most popular variations, including special regional takes on the dish.

1. Nanakusa-gayu: This is a superfood version of okayu that features five to seven traditional spices and herbs. The herbs include turnip, daikon, shepherd’s purse, chickweed, watercress, and cotton sow thistle. Nanakusa-gayu is a specialty dish in Kyoto. People in Japan eat it on January 7 for several reasons. Some believe it wards off evil and brings good fortune. Others see it as a highly digestible meal that helps to counterbalance the heavy meals they enjoyed since January 1, during New Year celebrations.

2. Azuki-gayu: This version is topped with red soybeans or red (azuki) beans. It takes the center stage during festivals as food and as an offering to the gods.

3. Miso-seasoned rice porridge: Originally a Japanese adaptation of the Chinese congee, miso-seasoned rice porridge is now fairly popular in Japan. It features a mixture of miso sauce and chili oil.

4. Seafood-infused versions: Okayu may be topped with various seafood ingredients. Common variations use salted salmon, smoked trout, or cod fillet.

5. Egg-topped okayu: You can whisk egg yolk and egg whites together before adding them to a pot of boiling rice.

Okayu in Japanese Culture and Cuisine

Okayu is rooted not just in Japanese cuisine but also in its everyday culture. During periods of cold weather, it serves as a reliable home-cooked meal, especially in households with children or elderly people. Okayu is also considered a healing and comforting dish for sick people. If you watch a lot of Japanese movies, there’s a high chance you’ve seen clips of people eating the mushy rice dish.

Restaurants and traditional inns (ryokan) in Japan offer several variations of okayu to both locals and foreigners. During festivals and religious events, the rice porridge plays a major role as food and an offering.

Where to Try Okayu in Japan

Tokyo and Kyoto are two of the best places to enjoy authentic okayu in Japan. In Tokyo, okayu is so common that you can buy ready-made pouches of the dish in convenience stores and supermarkets. For the traditional experience, we recommend a visit to Okayu to Men no Mise Kayu Sanchin Keio Moru Ten in Shinjuku.

In Kyoto, you’ll find many restaurants and roadside markets where okayu is sold. Nanagusa-gayu is one of the most popular foods in the city.

A Comforting Conclusion: Why You Should Try Okayu

Okayu’s comforting nature, simplicity, and adaptability have made it one of the best traditional rice dishes in Asia. We urge you to try making it at home or seeking it out when visiting Japan for an authentic cultural experience.

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