Ginger honey okayu (okay = Japanese rice porridge) is another one of my favorite home remedies when I’m feeling under the weather, in addition to another one of my favorite ways to pair up ginger and honey (remember my Honey Ginger Lemon Tea from last week?)! Okayu (or kayu) is a simple Japanese porridge made by cooking rice in more water than usual, adding a bit of salt and sometimes some toppings. (If you’re familiar with congee, okayu is the Japanese version.) Okayu is a common breakfast dish in Japan, as well as an easy-to-make baby food, or something to eat when you’re feeling under the weather.
I take the easy way out when I make okayu. I use my rice cooker. I’ve made okayu on the stove top many times (stove top cooking instructions included in the recipe!), but inevitably one of the kids needs something and I let the okayu cook too long, and I pass the point of perfection, turning the grains of rice into mush. With my rice cooker, all I have to do is use the “Porridge” setting, and then no matter what distractions my kids might throw my way, I don’t have to worry about ruining the rice!
Speaking of rice cookers, Allison and I are giving away one of Zojirushi’s brand new Micom Rice Cookers that they just released last month! To enter, head on over to our Miso Hungry website (entries open until 11:59 PST on Monday, May 21st, 2012)! While you’re at it, learn more about rice and why we love our rice cookers by listening to episode 17 and episode 18 of Miso Hungry—all about rice!
I love adding a bit of fresh grated ginger to the pot when cooking the rice so that the finished porridge is infused with its spicy sweetness. Adding a drizzle of honey just before serving adds a wonderful balance to the bite of the ginger. Although not traditional, it makes a delicious twist! Now go make yourself a pot of ginger honey okayu and curl up with a good book for some “you” time!
Ginger Honey Okayu (Japanese Rice Porridge)
Makes 4 servings
1 cup uncooked Japanese-style white rice (short grain rice)
5 cups water for thick okayu (7 cups water for thinner okayu)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons honey (use more or less depending on your tastes)
1. Wash the rice in cool water, then drain. Repeat until the water runs clear.
2. To make the okayu in a rice cooker: Put the rice, water, ginger, and salt in the cooking bowl of the rice cooker and gently stir to combine. Cook the rice using the “Porridge” setting. When the rice completes cooking, open the lid and gently stir the rice to loosen it.
3. To make the okayu on the stove top: Put the rice and water in a heavy bottomed pot and let it sit for 30 minutes. Add the salt and ginger, stir to combine, and then cover the pot. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat. When the mixture beings to boil, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook the rice for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, keeping the pot covered, and let the residual heat steam the rice for 10 minutes. Open the lid and gently stir the rice to loosen it.
4. To serve: Divide the okayu into individual rice bowls. Drizzle one tablespoon of honey over the rice in each bowl and serve.
* Disclosure: Zojirushi is providing the rice cooker for our Miso Hungry giveaway.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great idea for the honey and ginger in the okayu!
Both my boys had okayu for their first baby food, and I had it in the hospital after both of their births—it was so comforting with some umeboshi after being exhausted from birthing babies! I absolutely loved all the hospital food in Japan.
This looks delicious! I was wondering what the water to rice ratio would be if I were to use brown rice? I expect that I would have to cook it a bit longer as well…
Neat! This sounds awesome!
Beautiful photo!! Hope you are feeling well…
This looks delicious! Could I leave it soaking overnight to save time in the morning?
Ginger in rice porridge? How very clever!
I’ll give this a try when I’ll have the sniffles :)
“Spice it Up”
I’m going to buy one of these really smart rice-cookers — possibly smarter than me — when we move back to the U.S. !
Hmm… didn’t work with the porridge setting on my rice cooker- and I have a Zojirushi too! Had a ton of water left over on top, ended up finishing it on the stove top :\
@Shea — That is really odd! I’ve tested this recipe several times, and actually just made this exact recipe for breakfast this morning in our Zojirushi and didn’t have any problems. 5:1 and 7:1 ratios are classic okayu ratios, so it shouldn’t have been a problem. My only thoughts are that your porridge setting is doing something funky, or it’s possible that you used the rice cooker measurements for measuring instead of regular measuring cups? I provide measurements in regular measuring cup style so that the measurements are standardized for cooking in both the rice cooker and on the stove top, instead of using the measuring cup which comes with the rice cooker. (One rice cooker cup is actually only about 3/4 cup.)
Really enjoyed the porridge. It is delicious. I posted a picture of my efforts here.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100809225879254118239/posts/WGkudkh1L3w
@Will — I am so glad! Thank you for taking the time to share!
I am sorry, but please, please don’t call this Japanese!
We Japanese NEVER put honey or ginger in Okayu. It’s way too far from Okayu we have, and it’s like going to a Korean owned restaurant with Mexican cooks who never had real Japanese dishes before. Every time we get those phony “Japanese food”, we get very disappointed, then have to feel like telling everybody in the building, “oh please don’t think this is Japanese food…!!”.
I don’t mean to insult you but his dish of yours is one of those…. if it taste good, congrats. But it’s definitely not Japanese and I don’t want people think Japanese food taste like this.
@Miyoshi– I’m sorry that you are offended. Although I’m big on preserving the traditional way things are done, I also believe that there is room for experimentation. When fusion is done well, I’m a big fan!
I state in the post, “Although not traditional, it makes a delicious twist!” It’s a way that I love combining traditional okayu and the home remedy of ginger honey lemon tea. It may not be your taste, but that’s what’s great about the world of food—there’s something for everyone!
Kudos to you for thinking outside of the box. I’ve never tried honey with Okayu, but LOVE ginger with okayu.
my mom always cook food with ginger! I wonder if ginger is good to cure sore throat.
I literally just finished making this. It’s so good!! I had never had okayu before and just decided to try it on a whim. I will definitely be making this the next time I’m sick.
@Maggie — I’m so glad!! Feel better!
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