Seven-herb porridge 七草粥

There is a tradition on the seventh day of the first month to eat a porridge mixed with seven vegetables/herbs. The tradition came from China, and it is still practised in certain areas on the seventh day of the first month according to the lunar calendar. In Japan, ever since the lunar calendar was dropped, this seven-herb porridge (七草粥) is eaten on the seventh of January each year instead.

The seven vegetables/herbs are: 芹 (water dropwort), 薺 (shepherd's purse), 御形 (cudweed), 繁縷 (chickweed), 仏の座 (nipplewort), 菘 (turnip), and 蘿蔔 (radish).

 

I decided to observe this custom this year (it is a good change to eat healthy), and made my own seven-herb porridge using a pack of ingredients bought from the supermarket. After dipping the vegetables in boiling water (with a bit of salt) for a short while, I diced them. Then, I cooked porridge using water and rice (and barley). After about 30 minutes, I added the diced vegetables, added a bit of salt and soy sauce for flavour, and cooked until the vegetables were all soft.

The taste was quite bland, but a dash of sesame oil and a bit of white pepper helped to spice it up a bit.

(In Singapore and Malaysia, it seems this seven-herb porridge has been replaced by qicai yusheng (七彩鱼生, meaning "seven-coloured raw fish salad"). This may be due to many people of southern Chinese ancestry, such as the Teochews, who have a custom of eating fish on the seventh day of the first month.)