When I find myself reaching for a second handful of Mele Kaliki Macs for breakfast, I know I’ve hit rock bottom. It’s January, and ’tis the season to feel completely sick from all the rich, sugary, fatty foods of December.
I’m not one to make lists of resolutions, but I do enjoy the feeling of a fresh start at the beginning of the year. Sticking to resolutions is better for me if I focus on what I will do instead of what I will not.
I resolve to eat more meals that energize me in a world of tired yet "fast" food, so I turn to the comforting, nutritious meals of my Japanese cookbooks.
Nanakusa gayu is a meal traditionally eaten on the seventh day of January. A steaming bowl of rice porridge and greens is easy on the stomach while being a perfect food for the beginning of the year, or whenever you need a palate cleanser. The dish is intended as a rest from all the overeating during the holidays.
Though this "risotto" sounds bland and boring, I find the subtle flavors to be just right. My kids will gobble it up because it is rice with just a touch of salt, and the greens do not distract from the texture. I will eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is the chicken soup for December stomachaches.
Customarily this dish includes seven types of greens. I can never use seven bunches of greens within a few days, so I reduced my recipe to five (you can use even fewer).
I use cilantro and green onions for their pronounced flavors and for the fact they are easily used in other dishes. Mizuna is similar to peppery arugula, and I found that it works well on pizza or even ground as a pesto.
The greens you choose can vary. You can create similar results with kale, collard greens, choi sum, even parsley. Just be aware of what needs to be precooked or what will cook quickly in a hot porridge.
Another addition of mine was the sheet of kombu (kelp) cooked with the porridge. Though it contributes just a slight difference in taste, it offers a flavor of the sea.
RICE PORRIDGE WITH FIVE GREENS (NANAKUSA GAYU)
3 cups raw greens such as mizuna, ung choi, watercress, cilantro (leaves only) and green onion
1 rice-cooker cup short-grain rice (about 3/4 cup)
1 piece of kombu (about 2 inches)
3/4 teaspoon salt
Optional garnishes: Salt, variety of tsukemono (pickles)
If using a hardy green like watercress or kale, parboil or steam until softened. Chop greens to 1/8 inch.
If your rice cooker has a porridge setting, use that. If not, in pot, use ratio of 1 part rice to 7 parts water. Place rice, water, kombu and salt in the pot or rice cooker and let soak 15 minutes.
If using rice cooker, let cycle run. If using pot, bring contents to boil, then immediately lower heat to barely simmer. Cover and cook until rice has absorbed water and has soupy consistency (about 40 minutes).
After porridge is cooked, remove kombu. Stir in greens and close rice cooker or replace the lid for 10 minutes.
Eat immediately, as the texture will become gluey over time. Porridge lasts longer on warm setting in rice cooker. Serves 6.
Nutritional information unavailable.
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Mariko Jackson writes about family and food at www.thelittlefoodie.com.
