Grandma's Recipes 
埼玉県 
* Photo is for reference 千葉県 ⛄ Winter
Japanese Grandma's Seven Herb Rice Porridge (Nanakusa Gayu)
Nanakusa gayu is a cherished Japanese New Year tradition - a gentle rice porridge made with seven spring herbs, eaten on January 7th to rest the stomach after rich holiday feasts and to wish for good health in the year ahead. This is one of Japan's most beautiful seasonal food rituals, connecting the table to nature's calendar.
🧂 Ingredients
servings
* In traditional Japanese grandma cooking, measurements are approximate — think of them as guidelines rather than exact amounts.
| Main Ingredients | |
| Rice | 1合 (Wash and drain in a sieve for 30 minutes) |
| Water | 1.2〜1.4L (Adjust depending on how thick you like your porridge) |
| Nanakusa - Seven spring herbs | 1パック (Seri (water dropwort), Nazuna (shepherd's purse), Gogyo (cudweed), Hakobera (chickweed), Hotokenoza (nipplewort), Suzuna (turnip), Suzushiro (daikon)) |
| Seasonings | |
| Salt | 小さじ1/2〜1 (Adjust to taste) |
👩🍳 Instructions
- 1
Wash the rice and leave it in a sieve to drain for 30 minutes.
💡 Grandma said, 'Letting the rice absorb water properly is the secret to fluffy porridge'
- 2
Briefly blanch the seven herbs, cool in cold water, and chop finely.
💡 Grandma would chop rhythmically on the cutting board, humming a little tune as she worked
- 3
Put the rice and water in a pot. Start on high heat, then reduce to low once boiling. Leave the lid slightly ajar and cook gently for 40-50 minutes.
💡 Don't stir too much - over-stirring makes it gummy
- 4
When the porridge is done, add the chopped herbs and salt. Turn off the heat while the herbs are still bright green - don't overcook them.
📖 Memories & Stories
On January mornings it was still dark and the kitchen was bitterly cold, but every year I'd be woken by the rhythmic sound of grandma chopping on the cutting board. She'd hum a song and say with a laugh, 'This will keep us healthy all year!' The porridge had a slight bitterness that was challenging as a child, but it tasted incredibly gentle and reassuring.
Source: Learned directly from grandmotherWritten from memory (Submitted by: gheu4d32)
🍽 Cultural Background
Nanakusa gayu is a traditional Japanese dish eaten on January 7th (Jinjitsu no Sekku). It is meant to rest the stomach after rich New Year's celebrations and to wish for good health throughout the coming year. The seven spring herbs - seri (water dropwort), nazuna (shepherd's purse), gogyo (cudweed), hakobera (chickweed), hotokenoza (nipplewort), suzuna (turnip), and suzushiro (daikon radish) - are chopped and stirred into the porridge.
