Japanese Rice Porridge or Okayu is so simple and easy to make. All you need is water and rice to make this traditional healing food. Add your choice of toppings to this warm and comforting dish that soothes the body and restores energy.
During this time of year, when the cold and flu season is at its peak, my children usually take turns bringing home a few rounds of sicknesses from school. Last weekend, we caught a cold while traveling back from Utah, and our whole family came down with fevers and coughs.
We didn’t have much of an appetite, so I decided to make some warm Japanese Rice Porridge (Okayu) for the family. It is the Japanese cold remedy I rely on most to soothe a weak stomach.
Table of Contents
Japanese Rice Porridge: A Healing Food
Rice Porridge, or as we call it, okayu (お粥), is a simple dish made with rice and water. The rice is simmered in a pot with water until it disintegrates. Because the rice is tender, soft, and easily digestible, it is considered a healing food in Japan. We typically serve okayu to people who are recovering from sickness, the elderly, or babies.
For those of you familiar with Chinese cuisine, you probably know that rice porridge (or congee), as a comfort food, is enjoyed in various ways. Chinese versions are often topped with julienned ginger, chopped scallions, fried garlic, or fried shallots. Sometimes, congee is topped with additional proteins like shredded chicken, ground pork, seafood, or Chinese sausage, making it suitable for lunch or dinner.
In contrast, the Japanese don’t consume porridge as frequently as the Chinese do for regular meals. Okayu, in particular, is served as a healing food, meant to soothe the body and restore energy. The toppings are kept simple, resulting in a light and mild-tasting meal.
How to Make Japanese Rice Porridge
The Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Japanese short-grain rice
- Water
- Optional toppings: chopped green onion/scallion, salted salmon, egg, kimchi, shredded nori, or pickled plum (umeboshi)
Cooking Tips
- Adjust water ratio for desired consistency. For this recipe, I use a 1:5 rice-to-water ratio to yield a thicker consistency. We refer to this ratio as zen-gayu (全粥). You could add more water for a lighter porridge. There is even a whole range of rice-to-water ratios that the Japanese follow, and each one comes with a specific name. You could read more on this in the Recipe Note below.
- Use dashi (Japanese soup stock), chicken stock, or miso for a more flavorful broth.
- For extra substance and nutrients, feel free to serve the porridge with proteins, veggies, or pickles.
Cooking Rice Porridge with Donabe (Earthenware Pot)
We use a donabe, the Japanese earthenware pot when making the rice porridge for the people we care for. It is a traditional way of preparing the dish as the pot cooks the porridge evenly and retains the heat well.
I suppose you can use a rice cooker, instantv pot, or a regular pot to make the porridge, but donabe has always been the preferred method.
I hope you give this Japanese home remedy a try when you’re under the weather, or in need of something light and healthy.
More Healthy Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
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Japanese Rice Porridge (Okayu)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice
- 250 ml water (1 cup + 2 tsp; for cooking the rice)
For the Suggested Toppings
- green onion/scallion (chopped)
- umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums)
- toasted white sesame seeds
- shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori)
- Homemade Japanese Salted Salmon (flaked)
- mitsuba (Japanese parsley) (for garnish)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. I follow a rice-to-water ratio of 1 to 5 for a thicker consistency in this recipe; to adjust for a runnier consistency, please see the Notes at the end of the recipe card.
- Rinse ¼ cup uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice in water, then drain. Repeat until the water runs clear. Drain into a colander and shake off the excess water.
- Add the well-drained rice and 250 ml water to a heavy-bottomed pot or a donabe earthenware pot, as I have here. If cooking in a donabe, use a towel to wipe off any excess water on the bottom of the pot (or else it may crack under heat). Tip: Select a cooking pot with plenty of room for the rice and water to cook without boiling over.
- Soak the rice for at least 30 minutes.
To Cook the Rice Porridge
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to the stove’s lowest setting (make sure to use the right size of stove burner for your pot size). Open the lid and gently mix with a spoon, making sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Then, cover with the lid and gently simmer the rice for 30 minutes. During this time, I do not open the lid or mix the rice. Tip: With a good size pot and the lowest heat on the stove, the water should not boil over. If you cook with more water or your pot is smaller than mine, you may want to leave the lid slightly ajar so the water doesn’t boil over. Tip: If you are worried, you can take a quick peek to make sure there’s enough water so the rice doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot. If necessary, you can stir the rice or add a bit of hot water. Otherwise, don’t stir the rice because that may break the rice grains.
To Steam and Serve
- After 30 minutes, turn off the heat and let it steam with the lid on for 10 minutes. The rice porridge should be soft and thick. If you want to add a beaten egg or salt, this is the time to mix it in. I keep this recipe plain and simple. Serve in individual rice bowls and garnish with toppings of your choice. Common toppings include chopped green onion/scallion, umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums), toasted white sesame seeds, shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori), Homemade Japanese Salted Salmon, and mitsuba (Japanese parsley).
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and keep them for 2 days in the refrigerator or for up to a month in the freezer.
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)
Equipment
- donabe (earthenware pot) or heavy-bottomed pot
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on January 30, 2013. The content has been updated in March 2020.
My mother in law(she’s Japanese and I’m American) taught me how to make this for my 1 1/2 year old son when he isn’t feeling well. We just turn it down low when it’s pirridge consistency and add an egg and stir until creamy. He loves it with shredded nori on top
Hi Lacey! How wonderful! You have the best Japanese cooking teacher! I’m sure your son will learn a lot of Japanese cooking/food through you. And even when he grows up, he would request porridge with egg and nori on top when he’s sick. 🙂
How long does this last in the fridge?
1-2 days in the firdge, but you will need to add more water when you reheat. 🙂
Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe. I know you posted this a few years ago, but it was just what I needed this week. I have had a sour stomach for a few days and nothing I normally do or eat when ill was helping. This dish was just what my stomach needed. A small bowl of rice porridge with some weak jasmine tea to drink, and my stomach finally settled. Thank you again.
Hi Katy! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe. Hope you will feel better soon. 🙂
If it takes 5 minutes to wash the rice and 30 minutes to let the rice soak, then it takes 35 minutes of prep time and another 30 minutes to cook. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Tamara! I do not include inactive prep time (time needed to gel in a refrigerator, or marinade, or sit overnight etc) in my prep time so (active) prep time is easy to see. I usually state in my Note, but I realized it’s not included in this recipe, so I’ll edit and add inactive time in my note section. Thank you so much for bringing to my attention! 🙂
Hi Nami,
Do you have an easy recipe for Cantonese congee? I used to eat that as a child and I really miss it!
Kay
Hi Kay! I don’t have a Cantonese recipe… I’ve only tasted it at a restaurant. Sorry!
I’d love to make this for breakfast but I’m often short on time, can the rice be soaked overnight or even longer?
Hi Jared! Sure, you can soak for overnight, but not longer than that. 🙂
Hi I was wondering if I can make this in a rice cooker without a porridge setting. Mine only has white rice, brown rice, sauté then simmer, steam and slow cook options. I love so many of your recipes thanks!
Hi Coreena! I don’t know your rice cooker so it’s hard for me to say how I would use it to make porridge. I only know how to make it in the pot and my rice cooker setting… Sorry
Hey I actually found this recipie whilst I was ill so I immediatly used it and it was great Thanks!
Hi Noor! I’m sorry to hear you were ill. Hope you are feeling better already. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for your kind feedback, Noor! 🙂
Hi Nami: I am new to your site and am enjoying it very much. Thank you for the concise instructions on cooking rice and sushi rice. Here in Canada, my family enjoys rice pudding so I tried your porridge recipe substituting milk for water and adding the rest of the ingredients like cinnamon,nutmeg,sugar and raisins to my rice cooker. The porridge is very good and this process made it much more convenient for me to produce. Thank you.
Hi Karen! Welcome to my blog! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed reading it already. 🙂 I love that you tried your porridge with rice cooker! Rice cooker is one great invention. 🙂 Thank you for your comment!
Can you do this in a regular pot? If so how should I go about that?
Hi Mizu! Yes, you can. Just use a regular pot and follow the instruction. Make sure to use the pot that fits to the rice amount. (Don’t use a huge pot for small amount of rice, vice versa). 🙂
I lived on this during my stay in Yamanashi. I was working through a bad stomach bug, so I made sure to eat this whenever I could (with umeboshi or shiso). It really helped.
I always wondered how to make it myself, since the pre-made packets can be a little expensive. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Renmi! My favorite is umeboshi & shiso too!! 😀 Love the frangrance from shiso which helps me eat when I didn’t even have appetite. I hope you give this a try next time you are under the weather. 🙂
I do associate okayu with my childhood when my Japanese mom would make it whenever I didn’t feel well. She always made it with lots of egg, in dashi and I think miso, so that’s the way I love it…
I feel like the main ingredient for okayu should me “a mother’s love” for it to be at its most comforting!
Hi Julie! Yeah I too eat okayu mostly when I was sick. Me too, I love when egg and miso are in it!!! I’m not sick now but I feel nostalgic and hungry thinking about it. 🙂 Thank you for your kind comment!
ありがとうございます. That was very yummy. 美味しいですよ.
Hi Miyuki! Glad you liked it. こちらこそ、気に入ってもらえて嬉しいです。ありがとう! 🙂
Hi there! I am a 14 with a passion to cook! I love anime and decided to check some recipes on Dango (which is everywhere. Naruto, sailor moon, etc) and found this site after scrolling through some recipes, I bookmarked a lot to “do later” and came across this one that looks pretty simple. I was just wondering if there’s anything I could use besides a heavy bottoms bowl? I am only a 14 year old girl in the USA, so I don’t know if I could get my hands on one. I could perhaps go to my local world market and check, but if you could answer my question, that would be great! Thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes with me!
With thanks,
Olive
Hi Olive! Thank you so much for your comment. If you don’t have a heavy bottom pot, don’t worry. You can use regular pot to make this porridge. Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Do you have any tips for cooking with clay pots? >.< I want to make this, but I have never used a clay pot in cooking before. I wouldn't even know where to start! Advice and or tips would be appreciated thank you!
Hi Erin! I found a link about clay pot cooking from one of the blogs I follow.
http://www.noobcook.com/claypot-cooking-care/
Hope that helps!