January 7th each year is the day to eat Nanagusa Gayu. An okayu (rice porridge) dish with seven different herbs. Nanagusa means seven grasses. Supermarkets sell packs of the herbs so it is quite easy to make at home.
The seven herbs consist of:
1. Seri (water dropwort)
2. Nazuna
3. Gogyou
4. Hakobera
5. Hotokenoza
6. Suzuna (turnip)
7. Suzushiro (radish)
Of the seven listed above, I only use seri in my daily cooking. The other herbs are not that common, although radish and turnips are often used in cooking. Rich in vitamins, eating nanagusa gayu, has a rich history in Japan and is supposed to contribute to one's health.
250 grams of cooked rice
4 1/2 cups of water
4-6 pieces of mochi
1/2 tsp. salt
In a pot add the water and cooked rice. Cook over medium heat. Cut the mochi into halves and add to the pot. While the mochi and rice are cooking cut up the herbs into small pieces. Save the turnip and radish for another dish.
When the mochi is soft add the salt (add more to taste). Add the herbs and stir briefly. Remove from heat and serve. As the herbs are quite delicate and cut into small pieces it does not need to cook too long.
* Chef Yanagihara suggests still making this dish if you can only get two or three of the herbs. If you are not in Japan, look for young turnips or radishes with their leaves and use the leaves.
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