Okayu Recipe (rice porridge)

Plain steamed rice is an essential item for Japanese-style breakfast. Okayu (rice porridge) is easy to digest and is good for breakfast too. Okayu is easy to digest and is easy to eat. When you have a stomachache or have a cold, okayu is a good food to eat.

This is a recipe to make plain okayu. You might want to add some vegetables or meat, depending on your appetite. (For example, boiled chicken, boiled shrimps, boiled scallops, mushrooms, daikon radishes, and so on.)

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Japanese rice
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• *some chopped green onion
• *sesame seeds
• *umeboshi (pickled plum)

Preparation:

Wash Japanese rice and drain. Put water and rice in a heavy bottomed pot or earthenware pot. Leave it for about 30 minutes. Cover the pot and put it on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and cook the rice for about 30 minutes. Stop the heat and let it steam for about 10 minutes. Season with salt before serving. Put toppings, such as chopped green onion, sesame seeds, and umeboshi (pickled plum) if you would like.

Basic Miso Soup

I think just about everyone loves a steaming hot cup of miso soup! With a soothing and mild flavor, miso soup is light and "brothy", not the type of soup that is a meal on its own, so serve as an appetizer. Miso soup is a quick, easy and light soup and is a staple of Japanese cuisine. This basic recipe is a simple version of the classic miso soup you'll find served in Japanese restaurants. Try this Vegetable miso soup recipe for a heartier soup.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1/3 cup miso
  
• 3 green onions (scallions), chopped
• 1 tbsp shredded nori or wakama seaweed
• 1/2 block firm silken tofo, cut into 1 inch cubes
• dash soy sauce (optional)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

Preparation:

Bring water to a slow simmer and add seaweed. Allow to simmer at least 5-6 minutes. The longer you simmer the seaweed, the less of a salty fishy flavor it will have.

Reduce heat to very low and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until miso is well dissolved. Its best not to boil the miso, as this will ruin some of it's healthy properties as well as change the flavor of the soup. Makes 4 servings.