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Okayu
Plain rice porridge with pickled plum
Okayu: Japanese plain soft rice porridge with umeboshi
Okayu is the porridge Japanese mothers make when someone is ill, tired or simply needs something gentle, and it is also eaten on 7 January as part of the new year with seven spring herbs. This weeknight version starts from cooked rice, simmered in water with a little salt until soft, white and spoonable, then served with a sour-salty umeboshi plum to stir in. The mistake is stirring it constantly, which breaks the grains and turns it gluey; stir only now and then. Chef's tip: for the full, silkier version, start with 100 g raw rice and 1 litre of water and simmer, lid ajar, for 40 minutes.
- Total time
- 17 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- 2 ½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt
To serve
- 1 spring onion (optional)finely sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 10 ½ oz cooked Japanese short-grain rice and 2 ½ cups water in a saucepan and loosen the rice with a spoon so there are no lumps.
1 minStep 2: Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, set the lid ajar and simmer gently, stirring only 2 or 3 times, until the grains are swollen and soft and the porridge is thick but still pourable.
13 minStep 3: Stir in ½ tsp salt, add a splash of hot water if it is too thick, and ladle into bowls.
1 minStep 4: Top each bowl with an 2 umeboshi (salted plums) and 1 spring onion and 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, and break the plum into the porridge as you eat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does okayu take?
- About 17 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cooked japanese short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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