Okayu (Japanese Rice Porridge)

Okayu is Japanese rice porridge and a comforting dish made quite simply of rice and water. It is easy to digest, so people in Japan commonly eat it when they have a cold, recover from an illness, or don't have much appetite. It is also a popular baby food and served to the elderly. You may also find it on hotel breakfast buffet tables.

Compared to the rice porridge of some other countries, okayu is much thicker due to the water-to-rice ratio. For instance, where Cantonese-style congee is made with 1 part rice to 10 or 12 parts water, okayu uses 1 part rice with just 5 parts water. Keeping this ratio in mind, it's easy to decrease or increase the amount of okayu you make at one time. You can adjust the amount of water based on how thick you like the porridge, or replace the water with dashi or chicken stock for extra flavor. In Japan, the rice porridge is traditionally cooked in a donabe, a glazed earthenware pot with a lid that retains heat well and cooks food evenly.

Japanese-style rice is a polished short-grain white rice (hakumai), which you may know better as sushi rice. The most popular rice in Japan for cooking is a japonica rice variety called Koshihikari. If that's unavailable, use another short-grain white rice.

This is a basic recipe to make plain okayu, and its neutral taste is the ideal base for various ingredients. Classic toppings include green onion, sesame seeds, and umeboshi (pickled plums). You can also add things like cooked chicken, salted salmon, or eggs, and vegetables (radishes are a favorite), Japanese parsley (mitsuba), and strips of nori.