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This is SO GOOD. New comfort meal unlocked.
★★★★★
– Lauren
Rice porridge sounds like a slow project, a pot of raw grains, a lot of water and a long wait at the stove. Mine starts with rice that is already cooked, and it is ready in 20 minutes.
It is not plain, either. Dashi, sake, mirin, light soy sauce, then beaten egg poured in and left alone for 20 to 30 seconds. Warm, savory, and familiar in a way you will not be able to place.
Okayu
Recipe Snapshot
- What is it? Japan’s rice porridge, made by simmering rice in a large volume of liquid until it softens and turns loose enough to eat with a spoon. This one starts from rice you already cooked, so it is a 15-minute pot rather than an hour-long one.
- Flavor profile: The first spoon is warm and mild, dashi carrying light soy sauce and a small amount of sweetness from the mirin, with the egg landing in soft folds rather than firm curds. What stays in your mouth after you swallow is a gentle umami rather than a sharp one.
- Why this recipe works: The pot is held at a bare simmer and never stirred, so the grains hold their shape instead of breaking down into paste. The liquid is dashi carrying sake, mirin, and light soy sauce, so the seasoning is already in the broth you spoon up rather than sitting on top as a topping.
- Must-haves: Cooked Japanese short-grain rice, good quality dashi, and eggs.
- Skill level: Easy, and about 15 minutes start to finish.
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What is Okayu?
Okayu (お粥) is the rice porridge Japanese homes fall back on, and the thing that sets it apart from a bowl of rice is how little the rice has to itself. Thickness here is a dial rather than a fixed point, set by how much liquid the grains sit in and how long they stay on the heat, which is why 2 cooks working from the same recipe can serve a bowl you almost drink and a bowl a spoon stands up in. You do not need to have grown up eating it to know what it is, because warm, soft, and lightly salted reads as comfort food in any kitchen.
There are 2 routes to it. Taki-kayu (炊き粥) builds it from raw grains. Standard practice is 30 to 60 minutes of soaking, then about an hour over the heat, so the pot alone takes the better part of an hour and the whole job runs longer than that. Then Ire-kayu (入れ粥) builds it from rice that has already been cooked once. In Kansai this was the everyday route for a long time, where households cooked rice at midday and turned the leftovers into porridge the next morning, while Kanto historically had less appetite for plain okayu.
In my version I take the ire-kayu route and build it on dashi instead of water, with sake, mirin, and light soy sauce, because it should taste good and that is reason enough. It is what I come back to when I’m craving comfort.
Egg Okayu Ingredients
- Cooked Japanese short-grain rice: Cold rice straight from the fridge goes in as it is, and the boiling dashi warms it through in the time the pot takes to come back up. Frozen rice works too, as long as you thaw it far enough to break the block into loose grains first. Short-grain is what gives this bowl its body, so that is the bag to reach for.
- Dashi stock: The liquid in this bowl is dashi and you drink it undiluted, so this is the flavor decision carrying the most weight. My go-to is dashi packets I make at home, a single batch on a Sunday that lasts for weeks. Good store-bought packets are a clean swap, and dashi built from scratch with dried bonito flakes and kelp is still the best version of it. Instant granules will get you a bowl, but I treat them as a last resort rather than a go-to.
- Toasted sesame oil: This one is here for aroma and nothing else, which is why it goes on after the pot leaves the heat instead of into it. A thin line across the surface is plenty, and you get it in your nose before the first spoon reaches your mouth. More is not better here.
Substitutions & How to Customize
Almost everything in this bowl bends, and here is what actually changes when you swap.
Substitutions:
- Bonito dashi → Shiitake and kombu dashi: The fish note goes, which is exactly what you would expect, and what fills the space is earthier. This is a different direction rather than a weaker one, and under sesame oil and nori it carries the bowl fine.
- Japanese light soy sauce → Regular Japanese soy sauce: This works. Your bowl comes out a shade darker than mine and a touch less salty, since usukuchi is the saltier of the 2 despite the lighter color.
- Sake → Leave it out: It is doing a background job in a small pour, and the bowl still stands up without it. Nothing else in the recipe has to move.
- Mirin → Leave it out: Mirin carries the sweetness here, so taking it out leaves the dashi and the soy sauce running straighter. Skip it and the bowl comes out a little straighter, which is a real version of this and not a broken one.
- Japanese short-grain rice → Calrose medium-grain rice: It comes out a little drier and less sticky, so give it a splash more dashi and a couple of extra minutes on the heat. Long-grain rice on the other hand, pulls the texture looser and less cohesive, so you end up with a different porridge rather than this one.
- Shredded nori → A toasted sheet and scissors: Cutting your own gets you there in about the time it takes to open a bag. Cut it as fine as you can.
Have trouble finding Japanese ingredients? Check out my ultimate guide to Japanese ingredient substitutes!
How to Customize:
- Flaked salted salmon or salmon flakes: It takes this from a small bowl to an actual dinner, and both go on at the table, so the pot itself stays exactly as it is.
- Umeboshi (salted plum): A salty, sour thing sitting on the edge of the bowl changes every spoonful you drag through it, and it never turns the whole pot into that flavor.
How to Make My Japanese Rice Porridge
If you prefer to watch the process in action, check out my YouTube video of this okayu recipe!
Before you start (Mise en place):
- Have your dashi made and ready to pour.
- Slice the green onions.
- Decide whether you want the thinner bowl or the thicker one. Rinsing the cooked rice is what makes the difference, and it has to happen before the rice goes anywhere near the pot.
To develop this recipe, I used a 22cm yukihira nabe.
i. Pour the dashi into a pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
ii. While you wait, whisk the eggs in a small bowl until no streaks of white are left.
i. For a thinner, lighter bowl, tip the cooked rice into a sieve, run cold water over it, and shake it hard to get the excess off (zosui-style).
ii. For the thicker bowl, skip the sieve and go straight to the pot.
Cooked rice wears a layer of starch that leaches out during cooking and settles on the grain surface, and rinsing cooked grains cuts their measured stickiness by 65 to 86 percent. Rinse it off and the broth stays loose and clean, so the dashi comes through ahead of the rice. Leave it on and the bowl tightens as it sits.
i. Once the dashi is boiling, add the cooked rice.
ii. Add the sake, mirin, and light soy sauce, and stir them through.
i. Drop the heat to a simmer and set the lid on at an angle so the steam has somewhere to go.
ii. Check it often. It keeps thickening the whole time it is on the heat, and I stop mine the moment it turns slightly sticky and reads as porridge rather than rice sitting in soup. Run it much past that and you cook off too much liquid, and the bowl goes stodgy instead of loose.
Porridge turns to paste when the grains themselves break open, and 2 things do that, stirring and a hard boil. Drop the heat until the surface barely moves, leave the spoon out of the pot once the seasonings are through, and the grains are still grains when you pull it off the heat.
i. When the okayu looks the way you want it, pour the whisked egg over the surface in a slow, even stream.
ii. Keep the pot over low heat and do not touch it for 20 to 30 seconds.
i. After 20 to 30 seconds, stir it through so the egg breaks into ribbons and runs evenly through the rice.
ii. Take the pot off the heat and divide the okayu between bowls.
iii. Finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a scatter of green onions, shredded nori, or whatever you want on top.
If you follow the default recipe, it will yield 2-3 main servings, or 4-5 side servings.
Tips for the Best Okayu
- Use rice that was cooked plain. Leftover rice in the fridge is not always neutral. Vinegared sushi rice carries vinegar and sugar, and rice that came out of a seasoned pot brings its own soy sauce along with it. Either of them lands on top of the seasoning already in this bowl and drags the whole thing somewhere else.
- Match the heat to your pan. Nothing gets stirred once the simmer starts, so the rice that settles on the bottom stays there until the egg goes in. A thin, light pan concentrates heat at the base and gives that layer nowhere to hide, and it can catch well before the surface looks ready. Reach for the heaviest pot you own, and if all you have is something light, run the flame a little lower.
- Make more dashi than the pot needs and keep it warm. A bowl that tightens past the point you wanted is easy to loosen, but only if there is something worth adding. Cold tap water thins it and flattens it at the same time. A small cup of the same dashi, kept hot at the back of the stove, leaves that door open right up to the moment you serve.
Every one of these is a decision the pot stops letting you revisit the moment the egg goes in.
Storage & Meal Prep
Fridge: Cool it down quickly, then keep it in an airtight container and eat it within 2 days. Store only what has not been served yet, and expect it to set stiff in the cold rather than stay spoonable.
Freezer: Only worth it for leftovers you already have on your hands. Portion it into airtight containers or lay it flat in freezer bags with the air pressed out, and use it within about 2 weeks.
Meal prep: You can cook rice and prepare dashi stock beforehand.
Reheating: Warm it in a pot over low heat with a splash of hot dashi and stir now and then so nothing catches on the bottom. A microwave works as well, covered, stirring every 30 seconds or so until it is hot all the way through.
What to Serve With Okayu
Okayu Troubleshooting
No. Stir in hot dashi, a splash at a time, until it moves the way you want it to, which is why the extra cup kept warm at the back of the stove earns its place. It is not the tidiest moment to be adding liquid and the bowl comes out a shade lighter than it would have, so work gently and fold the liquid through instead of shredding the egg you just set.
Usually yes. Ladle the okayu off the top and leave that scorched layer exactly where it is, and do not scrape or stir it back in, because a burnt note travels through a bowl this mild faster than you would believe. If the smoke has already gone through the whole pot, start again on a lower flame.
The pot most likely came off the burner the moment the egg hit it. That waiting time is cooking time rather than resting time, so the pot has to stay over low heat for it to count. Put it back on the lowest flame, give it another 15 seconds without touching it, and look again. Once the surface stops looking raw, stir it through.
More Japanese Rice Recipes
- Egg on Rice (Tamago Kake Gohan)
- Salmon Ochazuke, Green Tea Over Rice
- Chicken Takikomi Gohan (Seasoned Rice)
- Miso Pork Fried Rice
Rice you already cooked can carry a lot more than a single bowl, and the rest of what I do with it lives in my collection of Japanese rice dishes.
Did You Try This Recipe?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
💬 Leave a review and ⭐️ rating in the comments below. 📷 I also love to see your photos – submit them here!
Easy Okayu with Egg (Japanese Rice Porridge)
Ingredients
- 200 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice straight from the fridge is fine, frozen needs thawing far enough to break into loose grains
- 2 egg
- 400 ml dashi stock use shiitake and kombu dashi for plant based diets
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions
- 1 drizzle toasted sesame oil optional
- 2 tbsp kizami nori (shredded nori) optional
The ingredient brands and tools I trust are in my Japanese pantry guide and my cooking tools guide.
Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients? See my substitution guide here.
Instructions
- Pour 400 ml dashi stock into a pot and bring to a boil over a medium heat.
- While you wait for the dashi to boil, whisk 2 egg in a small bowl until the yolk and whites are combined.
- Optional: If you prefer your porridge with a thinner consistency, wash the cooked rice in a sieve and shake thoroughly to remove excess water.
- Once the dashi is boiling, add 200 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice, 1 tsp sake, 1 tsp mirin and 1 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu).
- Turn heat down to simmer and continue to heat with a lid set slightly ajar. Check the consistency frequently.
- Once it reaches your desired consistency, pour the whisked egg into the pot and and cook for 20-30 seconds without mixing.
- After 20-30 seconds, mix thoroughly to break up the egg and evenly distribute it through the rice. Remove from the heat and divide into serving bowls.
- Serve with 1 drizzle toasted sesame oil and 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions or 2 tbsp kizami nori (shredded nori) (or toppings of your choice).
- Enjoy!
This is my new souldfood!!! I’ve never tried rice porridge before, now I wonder what took me so long..?! Super easy and most delicious ありがとう❤️
Hi Dee,
Thank you for the comment! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!
こちらこそ、ありがとうございます！
Yuto
Made it this morning, turned out great. Thanks!
Hi Jenevieve,
Thank you for your comment and sharing your picture! Looking good! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Yuto
sick with the flu I made it to myself, and truly it is a comfort food both to body and soul.
thank you!
Hi Hadas,
Thank you for making this recipe! I hope you’ll feel better soon! 🙂
Yuto
I have enjoyed and made okayu quite a bit, but I usually use a 5:1 ratio for water:rice. What are your thought on this larger amount of water?
Hi Josiah,
Thank you for your comment! The water ratio and cooking time really come down to personal taste. I tend to go lighter on water because I enjoy more grain texture, but traditionally, okayu is definitely softer and more soupy, so larger amount of liquid is absolutely in line with that style! 🙂
Yuto
This is so delicious, thank you
Thank you so much, Amanda!
I just made this for my teenager who is recovering from oral surgery. It’s the perfect combination of filling, delicious, and easy to eat.
Hi Kay,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so glad to hear the recipe was helpful! Sending best wishes for your kid’s healing.
Yuto
Delicious!
I had a chicken breast thawed that needed to be used, so I stared with the dashi broth and added my enormous, slightly browned chicken breast to the stock and simmered it like that for 15 minutes before adding the sauces and rice. I then simmered it as recommended for another 10 minutes. After this time, I remove the chicken breast and shredded it, then added it back into the pot. St this point I added the egg, and finished as suggested. It was a perfect meal for an entire day, making me feel warm and cozy like whenever I’m in Japan.
Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe! What a great idea using chicken breast! I’m really happy to hear it turned out so comforting and satisfying. 🙂
Yuto
This is SO GOOD. New comfort meal unlocked.
Hi Lauren,
Thank you so much for trying the recipe! Always great when a recipe becomes a go to comfort meal! 🙂
Yuto
Savory and sweet, satisfyingly filling. My daughter recovering from oral surgery loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
Really glad to hear she enjoyed it, especially while recovering. Wishing your daughter a smooth and speedy recovery! 🙂
Yuto