Umegayu: Okayu Rice Porridge with Umeboshi Plums
For today’s lunch, I bought 2 instant food products at a 7 Eleven convenience store.
One is my favorite cup ramen from Nissin I introduced before in this article, Nissin Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto, while the other is an instant Okayu from 7 Eleven Japan’s 7 & i Premium line.
Here they are.
Ume-Gayu (梅がゆ: Okayu with Umeboshi)
Look delicious?
You could easily imagine how to cook this instant ramen, but how about the rice porridge we Japanese generally call “Okayu (お粥)” or “Kayu (粥)”?
This time, I made the Okayu rice porridge called “Umegayu (梅がゆ)” from the contents of this product.
The name of the O-Kayu Umegayu can be divided into 2 words, “Ume (梅)” that stands for “Umeboshi (梅干し: pickled Ume plum)“, and the word for Okayu or Kayu, “Gayu (粥)”.
So Ume-Gayu is Okayu with bits of Umeboshi plums. For those who are curious about how to make it, I will introduce a basic recipe in the last paragraph of this article.
The package only contains a block of freeze-dried Umegayu. So with 160 ml of boiling water, rehydrate it; After pouring the water, wait for 1 minute and stir the mixture well.
And this is the resultant Ume-Gayu or Okayu rice porridge with Umeboshi (red bits).
Since the base ingredients of this porridge include Katsuobushi bonito extract, it is a tasty bowl of Umeboshi Okayu.
Featuring a moderate, refreshing acidity from Umeboshi plums, this rice porridge is packed with umami and delicious!
Recipe
Umegayu is one of the most common Okayu varieties that has long been loved in Japan. It is a simple Okayu dish whose basic recipe is as follows.
- First, simmer steamed plain rice (hot or cold, either is okay) in a pot with water over low heat, sometimes stirring with a rice spatula. And add a dash of salt and Hondashi powder.
- Deseed Umeboshi and tear the flesh into small pieces by hand. And put them in the pot.
- Cook the mixture until the rice becomes somewhat gooey.
- Serve the Okayu in a bowl and enjoy!
