Okayu, rice porridge. An many pickles. It’s simple, colorful, feeling and very tasty.
I had a cold, not much appetite. That was perfect.
Umeboshi, salty plum, with the red shiso that comes together.
Aka kabu, red Kyoto turnip tsukemono.
Cornichons à l’estragon, with the onion from the same jar. Behind, a few capers.
Toasted abrura-age (fried tofu) and 2 sesames.
All the topping are ready.
And the rice. Just good brown rice, longly simmered in water.
赤えんどう豆 aka endo mame. Red peas, from Hokkaido.
I’ve found these in a depachika. It’s the under-ground flour of a department store where there are many specialty shops of food, ready to eat, fresh and ingredients. I had never used these peas.
After soaking a few hours.
And boiling 45 minutes. I could then use them for 3 dishes.
Japanese style : reheated on low heat, 15 minutes, with enough broth to cover, a piece of kombu seaweed, soy sauce and kurozato black sugar. Let cool. They can be kept about a week in the fridge and served as side dish for Japanese meals.
Aka endo mame okayu (more here)
Indian-Japanese fusion style : stir-fried with onion, garlic, ginger and chana dal massala powder. Plus a few shishito peppers.
Served on reheated shirataki noodles.
Here is an okayu, a congee, a rice porridge.
Brown rice, soaked. Red peas boiled (Hokkaido aka endomame). A little salt. Lots of water. 3 hours simmering slowly in a rice cooker, a crockpot, or on a stove.
Umeboshi with red shiso.
To garnish : umeboshi flesh, cut shiso (from the umeboshi), stalks of mitsuba and black sesame.
Frozen tofu.
Refried briefly with Indian spice mix and turmeric.
A quick brunch.
This the food for today in Japanese tradition :
Hey, why not ? An okayu (rice porridge) makes a nice… brunch. It’s simple just fill the rice cooker the day before.
This version is not traditional. It’s genmai brown rice. Then I’ve added fish bone stock and a few red items as final toppings. All that together was really tasty.
Dessert.
Last year’s abalone/awabi/ormeau series :
ormeau au beurre (French style buttered abalone)
Awabi to kimo (Japanese style)
GOURMANDE in OSAKA 