After all the holiday indulgences, Nanakusa Gayu (七草粥) or Seven Herb Rice Porridge is enjoyed on January 7 of the New Year allowing our stomachs to recover.
On January 7th of the New Year, the Japanese observe a tradition known as nanakusa no sekku (七草の節句), or the Festival of the Seven Herbs, by eating a healthy rice porridge called Nanakusa Gayu (七草粥). This time-honored custom is believed to bring good health and to ward off evil spirits for the rest of the year.
The simple meal of rice porridge hits the spot after all the feasting and helps our overindulged stomach to heal and recover. If you’re ready for a reset, this tasty yet light porridge will be a nice welcome to get us back on track.
Table of Contents
What is Nanakusa Gayu?
Nanakusa gayu, literally translates to “seven herbs rice porridge”, is a type of okayu or rice porridge that consists of seven (七 nana) herbs (草 kusa). We sometimes say haru no nanakusa (春の七草), which means spring seven herbs, because young herbs that are available during this time of year are more tender and fragrant.
The custom of eating hot rice porridge on the 7th day of the Japanese New Year has its root in Chinese belief and can be traced back to ancient times in Japan. Based on the Chinese legend, January 7th is also known as Jinjitsu 人日, one of the 5 seasonal festivals (節句), which we celebrate everyone’s birthday as it is the day humans were born.
In Japan, we usually eat a plain bowl of okayu when we’re feeling under the weather because it is light, comforting, and easy for the stomach. It is a suitable meal to heal any heavy feelings or sicknesses. As we wrap up the New Year festivities, it makes sense to eat nanakusa gayu. Since there is little green during this season, the young herbs incorporated into the porridge bring color to the table and represent renewal for the new year.
Use These Seven Herbs for Nanakusa Gayu
Here are the seven herbs used in nanakusa gayu:
- Water dropwort – Seri (せり)
- Shepherd’s Purse – Nazuna (なずな・ぺんぺん草)
- Cudweed – Gogyo (ごぎょう)
- Chickweed – Hakobera (はこべら)
- Nipplewort – Hotokenoza (ほとけのざ)
- Turnip – Suzuna (すずな・かぶ)
- Daikon radish – Suzushiro (すずしろ・大根)
To help remember the herbs, we even have a song that goes like this: 「せり なずな、 ごぎょう はこべら ほとけのざ、 すずな すずしろ これぞ七草 (ななくさ)」(“Seri Nazuna, Gogyo Hakobera Hotokenoza, Suzuna Suzushiro Korezo Nanakusa.”)
For those of us who live outside of Japan, it would be a challenge to find all the seven herbs. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t make nanakusa gayu and enjoy the porridge at home. Over the years, I’ve cooked with various herbs and made my own versions, and each one turns out just as delicious.
Here are some common herbs that you can use, but make sure nothing is too strong or dominant in the amount that overkills the flavors:
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Chervil
- Chives
- Fennel
- Mint
- Watercress, etc
Where To Find Nanakusa (Seven Herbs)
In Japan
You can find these packages of convenient “Haru no Nanakusa Set” (春の七草セット) in grocery stores. They are basically a bundle of fresh herbs ready for use in making nanakusa gayu.
Outside of Japan
Most of these greens will probably be pretty hard to come by in the US or anywhere outside of Japan, so my recommendation is to use a selection of greens you enjoy that are available near you.
I waited for years to share this recipe on my blog because these fresh herbs were not available. Luckily, my local Japanese grocery store (Nijiya Market) started selling this freeze-dry nanakusa.
The package includes 2 small servings of freeze-dried herbs.
Use Japanese Earthenware Pot Donabe for Nanakusa Gayu
For best-tasting okayu, I recommend using a donabe (土鍋), a Japanese earthenware pot, to cook the porridge.
This traditional clay pot distributes heat beautifully and retains heat well, and it makes a beautiful serveware for nanakusa gayu. It certainly suits the spirits of Japanese New Year by serving such a meaningful meal in a donabe.
Before you start using your Donabe, please learn how to season and care for your donabe.
More on Japanese New Year Traditions & Foods:
- How Do The Japanese Celebrate The Japanese New Year
- Toshikoshi Soba (Japanese New Year’s Eve Noodles)
- Osechi Ryori (Japanese New Year’s Food)
- Kagami Biraki – Mochi Breaking Ceremony
- Eating Nanakusa Gayu on The Festival of the Seven Herbs
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Nanakusa Gayu (Seven Herb Rice Porridge)
Ingredients
For Rice Porridge
- ¼ cup uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice
- 250 ml water (1 cup + 2 tsp)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt (to taste)
Nanakusa (Seven herbs)
- 1 package Nanakusa Set (fresh or freeze-dry) (or 7 herbs of your choice, cut into small pieces)
Instructions
To Make Rice Porridge
- Add ¼ cup (50 g) short-grain rice in a bowl and rinse under running water while gently rubbing the rice with hands. Repeat until the water runs clear and drain.
- Put the rice back in a donabe (I used a small Japanese earthenware pot) or a heavy-bottomed pot, add 250 ml of water, and cover with a lid. Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes. Tip: With the heavy-bottomed pot like a donabe, the heat is distributed not as strongly/directly as a regular pot, so you can cook rice evenly.
- Bring the rice to a boil over medium-high heat. You can open the lid to check during this time.
- As soon as it's boiling, gently mix with the spoon once, making sure the rice is not stuck to the bottom of the pot. Then lower the heat to the stove’s lowest heat setting (make sure to use the right size of stove burner for your pot size), cover the lid, and simmer the rice for 25-30 minutes. During this time, don't open the lid or mix the rice (See Note).
- After 25-30 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to let it steam. The rice should be soft and thickened.
To Make Nanakusa Gayu
- Add nanakusa (fresh or freeze-dried) and mix gently. Sprinkle salt to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Zen-gayu – 1 : 5 (50 grams : 250 ml)
Shichibu-gayu – 1 : 7 (50 grams : 350 ml)
Gobu-gayu – 1 :10 (50 grams : 500 ml)
Sanbu-gayu – 1 : 20 (25 grams : 500 ml) Using Cooked Rice:
Add rice and 2-3 times water in the pot. Cook stirring over medium-low heat. Adjust the consistency by adding more water.
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 5, 2017. It has been updated with new images in January 2019 and republished in January 2022.
Hi! I find it very sad, and kind of crazy (!) that nowhere do you mention that these herbs were first and formost simply picked in the wild… Seems like a pretty big thing to leave out in the “where to get these” part. Would be great if you could add it!
Most people have these, or similar, growing for free in their back yard or on the pavements of their streets… (in Europe, nipplewort is everywhere, the others I don’t know, but there are litteraly hundreds of equally free, nutritious and delicious replacements you can use!)
Hi Juliette! How nice that you live in a place where you can pick these in the wild (!!!!). Even in Japan, most people won’t have access to them so we buy these in a package that I showed in the blog post. I’ve also looked up here in the US (and some American readers did too) but these are not easy to find… Well, I live in California where everything is dry, so maybe that might be why…
どうもありがとうfor sharing the information about Nijiya carrying the 七草粥package! I’ve been thinking about making the traditional one this year and just found your page. I’m going to stop by Nijiya today!
こんにちは Miyuki-san! Hope you find it and enjoy the porridge. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I really love your posts. I’m trying to get healthy in 2020 and your recipes are helping me. Just as important my Son and Nephew are both very into all things Japanese. My nephew visited Tokyo a few years ago and absolutely loved it…everything from the people to the deer in the park / street to the history, bath-houses and food he would never even look at here in the U. S. And lets face it the Anime women help. All because of video games, the design and developement. They are both planning a trip together after my sons college is done.
So my reason for writing…do you know where you got your earthenware pot and those adorable little chop-stick rests? We have an H-Mart locally that is our oriental shopping mart so I’m interested to see if they have them, and the nanakusa kits or freeze dried herbs.
Lastly I’m just curious as to why you don’t speak the steps as you do them on your videos? Sorta like on food network? Or do you and I just don’t have the volume turned up. (LoL)
Thank you. I look forward to seeing you next week.
Melissa
Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s interesting that the younger generation starts their interest in Japan through anime and games and they are familiar with Japanese food and culture through what they read or learn from manga and games. Very fascinating!
This particular earthenware pot (pot for 1 person) is from the Japanese grocery store, but you can find similar ones from Asian grocery stores (They are mass-produced type and made in China). I think H-mart may carry it. If not, Amazon is another option.
If you are interested in getting more proper, higher-end product, then I recommend Toiro (https://toirokitchen.com/collections/all). I bought 2 Donabe and 2 Kamadosan (rice cooker donabe) and they are excellent quality made in Japan. This is supposed to last for a long time, so I think it’s a good investment.
I don’t like appearing myself in front of camera and I also don’t like my own voice (it’s not the most soothing sound people would enjoy). So we decided on the cinematographic style of video instead of cooking channels on TV, etc. Everyone has a favorite style, but we really enjoy focusing on food and technique, not much chatting. So far, people gave me feedback that they actually enjoy this type rather than people talking a lot (especially I don’t have that fun and entertaining personality to go with). My recipes have step by step images and print function, so I don’t really need to give instructions on cooking (which makes the videos even longer and not everyone has time to watch). So videos are made just to give an idea of how the cooking is done. Detailed tips and instructions are always provided on the blog and recipe. I hope this makes sense. 🙂
Thank you again for your kind feedback! xo
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. What brand(s) of Japanese rice do you recommend. I live near a huge multi-national grocer (Lee Lee) in Arizona.
Would also appreciate more Instant Pot and vegetarian recipes.
Happy New Year!
Hi Janis! I buy either rice from Japan (Available ones are from Toyama prefecture or Hokkaido prefecture – You can get them in Japanese grocery stores called Nijiya in California). I’m not sure about the grocery store you mentioned (I don’t see it here in SF area), but Koshihikari or Tamanishiki are both pretty good.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/japanese-rice-everything-you-need-to-know/
[…] https://www.justonecookbook.com/nanakusa-gayu-seven-herb-rice-porridge/ […]
[…] radish (蘿蔔, suzushiro or 大根, daikon). You can find a great recipe of the seven-herb congee here. Eating this congee is said to bring longevity and good health and is intended to ward off […]
Hi!
I am confused by the following instructions.
Rice-Water Ratio:
Zen-gayu – 1 : 5 (50 grams : 250 ml)
Shichibu-gayu – 1 : 7 (50 grams : 350 ml)
Gobu-gayu – 1 :10 (50 grams : 500 ml)
Sanbu-gayu – 1 : 20 (25 grams : 500 ml)
Are they different kinds of rice grains or are they different consistency of porridge?
Thanks. Faye
Hi Faye! It’s a different style of porridge based on water amount. Each style has a specific name for it. I did not want to go into too details but I wanted to give the ratio for those who already know the different styles and look for the water measurement.
I love reading your blog! I’m japanese American, so while we cook and eat plenty of Japanese foods, there are some things that got lost over the generations—nanakusa gayu being one. Is there a reason I shouldn’t use leftover rice to make this?
Hi SK! Thank you for reading my blog! You can use leftover rice too. 🙂
Hi Nami! I only have/use brown rice. Would the water to rice ratio be the same and would I just cook it longer????
Going to make this with your pork/lotus fried sandwiches on Monday 🙂
Brown rice needs to be soaked overnight or longer, and it needs to be cooked with more water for a longer time. I don’t usually do 100% brown rice (I do 1 brown: 2 white), but I will try to make the recipe for brown rice this year… Enjoy the pork/lotus root dish!
I tried making porridge but since I don’t have an easy access to an asian supermarket, I couldn’t get the herbs necessary. So I wondered what kind of more “accessible” herbs I could use other than the ones mentioned in your post, since I still don’t really know how to use them right now.
By the way, I really love your recipes and for a beginner like me (I’m 17 years old), they are very easy to make without mixing things up! Thanks a lot since I could finally make the recipes I found in anime or else.
Hi Rose! Thank you for asking! Some of JOC readers have tried this recipe with non-Japanese herbs. One of them is Lion who gave me a list! He used radish leaves, celery leaves, dandelion leaves, flat parsley, chives, mint, fennel. Hope this helps!
I’m so happy you started cooking Japanese food. Good luck and happy cooking! xo
I had not considered the turnips and radishes herbs but I guess that is a bit like the difference between a plant and a weed. One is an authorized planting and the other isn’t. The Gayu set looks like it includes the turnip but the freeze dried doesn’t look it does. Is the turnip and radishes grated into the porridge or are just the tops used?
Oops. Saw the fresh instructions a bit late.
Hi Sang! It looks like this custom has been around since 700. These plants/herbs are not common herbs we use in our daily cooking (except for daikon and kabu), and in Japan we say Spring Seven Weed/Plants （七草）, but English translation is 7 herbs… 🙂
Hi Nami, I have never heard of Nanakusa, and was interested in trying it. .3Unfortunately, the Nijiya in Mtn View did not have it. The two people that helped me were not familiar with the freeze dried package.. I will try to remember this for next year though. Thank you for introducing this to us.
Hi Joanne! Every year when I called the supermarkets (including Nijiya), they don’t know what I’m talking about, so I have to ask to a Japanese person in Japanese and I can finally get answer (if they have Nanakusa). I assumed they carry same/similar stuff… San Mateo stores get a lot of stuff from Mountain View (all the meat and fish is packed there), so I’m surprised Mountain View location does not carry this same item… (and doubt they run out). 🙁 Sorry you couldn’t find it. Hopefully you can find it next year toward the end of the year. I found this package after the Christmas, along with New Year’s Day items. 🙂
I agree with your comments, Namiko. After the holidays I am so tired of all the rich foods. So, thank you for posting this recipe. My “ohara” tells me every year at this same time that it needs something to calm it down.
Have a wonderful time skiing our beautiful Utah terrain.
One of these times when you come it would be wonderful to meet you. I know there are many of us from the Salt Lake Betsuin who follow you and would love to have a “meet and greet?”
Omedetto gozaimasu……………..
Hi Lisa! Akemashite Omedeto! You live in Utah! So sorry I just saw your message (and I’m at the airport flying back). I was at Salt Lake Roasting Co in downtown to meet the owners who are JOC fans. Next time maybe all of us can meet together! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I think I shop at the same Nijiya as you, so I’ll have to see if they still have the freeze dried version :). Do you remember if it was by the furikake? I’m definitely a little tired of all of the new year food, and I was thinking of making some zosui, but this sounds great too!
Hi Vicki! I go to one in San Mateo. It was at the front area and wasn’t in the isle. Since it’s almost the 7th, I think it’s still out in the front. 🙂
Hope you like it! Zosui sounds good too!
Can I make the seven herb rice recipe in my rice cooker?
Hi Barb! Does your rice cooker have porridge function? If it does, yes you can make it in the rice cooker. If not, you have to make rice first and then cook the cooked rice and some water in a pot (if you want to use cooked rice). 🙂