Ryuji's Nanakusa Gayu and Nanakusa Risotto: Two Ways to Use Half a Pack of the Seven Herbs Each

At the start, Ryuji says their job is "to be useful to everyone," and that they think showing how to make nanakusa gayu is useful. At the same time, they predict this video won't get many views. Looking back, they say they had recently leaned too heavily toward videos that get views, and that because getting views and being useful are two different things, they want to keep doing episodes like this one.

There is also a reason behind the timing of the release. People who plan to eat nanakusa gayu on the day of the seven herbs won't feel like making it unless a video is out by around the 5th. Posting it at 7 p.m. on the 7th is too late, in Ryuji's view. Toward the end, they also say they think this video might still be watched next year or the year after, and that they wanted to cover, at least once, a dish people only eat around January 7.

In Ryuji's neighborhood, the seven herbs were only sold as a set. Looking at the back of the bag, they go through the contents: seri (Japanese parsley) with roots attached, hakobera (chickweed), gogyo (cudweed), suzushiro (a small daikon radish), and suzuna (turnip). However, neither of them can tell which one is hotokenoza, and they settle it with "just buy the set."

One pack makes about 2 go (rice cups) worth of food, so this time half goes into the porridge and half into the risotto. Prep is just a light rinse—enough to wash the dirt off the base of the seri—and then chopping everything. The suzushiro and suzuna aren't peeled. A-ko says they used to peel them, but Ryuji says "you don't need to peel them at all," and the leaves are used too. Ryuji prefers the porridge with the herbs chopped, but there's no need to mince them; a rough chop that leaves a bit of texture is best, they say. They repeated that you shouldn't fuss over the details, so that making it every year doesn't become a chore.

The cut herbs are divided into two portions, and each is further separated into the white root parts (daikon and turnip) and the leafy parts. When A-ko says it's great to be able to use it all up while living alone, Ryuji replies that they often used to make single servings of nanakusa gayu too.

Ryuji says their nanakusa gayu is "absurdly easy." Put about 750 cc of water in a pot, add 1 teaspoon of kombu dashi, and bring it to a boil. Many people eat nanakusa gayu seasoned with salt alone, but Ryuji states flatly, as their personal opinion, that "with just salt it tastes bad"—too plain. If you want truly delicious nanakusa gayu, be sure to add kombu dashi: this was the point pushed hardest in the episode. Hondashi will also make it tasty, but the bonito aroma is too strong and masks the scent of the herbs, so kombu dashi is the better choice, they say.

The rice is 150 g. On whether to wash it, there was some talk to the effect that not washing it doesn't change the flavor, but with the expectation that viewers would point it out, they wash the rice for the porridge. Once the water boils, add the rice. Ordinary porridge is cooked starting from cold water, but Ryuji considers adding the rice after the water boils to be the easiest and tastiest method. They added, however, that it tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.

At this point, only the white daikon and turnip parts of the herbs go in first. That's because they meld with the rice and cook down until soft and creamy. The leaves would lose their aroma if added now, so they're saved for the end. Ryuji also says the turnip is tasty even if it keeps some crunch. After that, just leave it on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Ryuji says "everyone tries too hard to make it properly," stressing that it's so easy it barely counts as a cooking video.

After about 20 minutes, once it looks like porridge, add the reserved green leaves and it's done. Half a pack makes 1 go of porridge, and Ryuji says it's just the right amount for the herbs to stand out visually.

The risotto that follows is a recipe Ryuji has been making since around 2019. The original recipe uses 100 g of rice, but this time they make it with 150 g to match the porridge. 1 go makes roughly two servings.

Put 1½ tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the white daikon and turnip parts. Risotto normally includes garlic or onion, but here the white parts of the herbs take their place. Next, add the rice and sauté it so it absorbs the oil. The rice for risotto isn't washed. That's because washing it removes the starch; if it bothers you, you can wash it, but "you shouldn't do things that serve no purpose," Ryuji says.

Consommé is the standard seasoning, but this time they use 1½ teaspoons of chicken bouillon powder (torigara). Ryuji explains that consommé has a lot of vegetable umami and a strong aroma, so it gets in the way of the herbs' scent. The low-aroma options are kombu dashi or chicken bouillon, and this time they chose the chicken, picturing something like a chicken broth. Adjust the amount as you go; if it's not enough, you can add more later.

Partway through, Ryuji realizes they forgot something important. The liquid added to the risotto must be water that has been boiled in advance. About 1 L is plenty; water boiled in a kettle is fine, and it doesn't need to be at a rolling boil.

Ryuji explains the reason this way: if you start with cold water, it takes time to come to a boil, and during that time starch is released and it turns into something like porridge. With hot water, it boils the instant it goes in, so the rice cooks properly. They also said you should try making it once with cold water to compare—the result is completely different.

Add hot water until the rice is just covered, and when it bubbles and the liquid starts to disappear, add more. You might think you could just add it all at the start, but that changes how it boils and how the liquid evaporates, they say. Ryuji reveals that this method was taught to them by a Western-cuisine head chef back when they worked at a hotel.

People often say you mustn't leave risotto unattended, but Ryuji says it's fine to step away. They've even made it while playing video games. The key is whether you can calculate in your head when the liquid will run out, and if you cook every day, a timer starts appearing in your head, they said from experience. How much to cover the rice with liquid varies from person to person. They also explained the difference between the two dishes: porridge is made soft and creamy with no firm center left, while risotto keeps a firm center for texture. Cooking takes about 15 minutes, so it can be finished at the same time as the porridge.

The talk about hot water leads to memories of the hotel days. Ryuji was a young waiter at the time, and because no other waiter asked questions about cooking, the head chef took a liking to them. There were some intimidating craftsmen who had made it on skill alone, but Ryuji believes anyone likes someone who tries to understand their work, and that even the most cantankerous craftsman will accept someone who properly does their homework. So when you ask a craftsman something, you should study on your own first and then ask, they say.

When Ryuji asked how to make risotto, they were told that consommé is fine if you're making it at home. The gist was that restaurants make their own stock, but you can't do that at home, and there's no need to be that particular at home. Ryuji also said that cooking—home cooking in particular—can be fairly loose. The only thing to watch out for is burning it, and if you take it off the heat, it won't burn either, they added.

Cheese goes in to finish. Grated Parmesan works too, but lately it's expensive at about 500 yen per container. With rising prices pushing up food costs, Ryuji says they don't want to use it for everyday cooking. Instead, they use melting mixed cheese from the supermarket private brand "Smile Life."

Ryuji also shared their thinking on choosing between the two. In the past they made carbonara and the like with grated Parmesan, and their older recipes used it too. But lately they think that when melting cheese into a dish, melting pizza cheese is better. It's cheap and also has a rich flavor. On the other hand, grated Parmesan is dry and gives a concentrated flavor, so for sprinkling on top, nothing beats it. Melting cheese isn't tasty unless it's heated—that's how they sort it out.

Taste the rice, and once only a slight firm center remains and the liquid is cooking off, add the green leaves and 35–40 g of pizza cheese. You can skip the cheese, but adding it makes it more like a risotto, they say. Risotto isn't something you season afterward, so this is where you settle the flavor. Two pinches of salt in total. The amount of liquid is up to you, but rather than soupy, the guideline is that you can draw a line with a spatula and it slowly closes back in. You could use more cheese, but if you want to let the herbs shine, this amount is about right, Ryuji says. Once it's plated, drizzle over some good olive oil they say they ordered specially. The olive aroma goes well with the seven herbs, apparently. The seven herbs are essentially the same as herbs, so they pair well with risotto—that's Ryuji's view.

They try the porridge first. Ryuji says "the kombu dashi is the key," and A-ko remarked that the kombu dashi doesn't get in the way of the herbs' aroma but actually lifts it. Ryuji says it soothes the stomach, and suggests sprinkling on a little salt, adding that pickles go well with it too. Someone also commented that it's almost entirely hands-off and only takes 20 minutes, yet they'd never realized nanakusa gayu could be this good.

Risotto stops being al dente as time passes, so Ryuji urges them to eat it right away. Of this dish made with nothing but the seven herbs and cheese, A-ko said the porridge is good too, but "this one might be the bigger shock," also describing it as "revolutionarily delicious." Ryuji reflects that going with chicken bouillon may have been the right call, since the aroma comes through. They also said that because it doesn't include garlic or anything else unnecessary, the herbs' aroma comes alive.

Ryuji confesses that they actually belong to the camp that isn't all that fond of the seven herbs themselves. That's precisely why they turned it into a risotto, to change things up. The porridge can be made very healthy, while the risotto, with its olive oil and cheese, has a flavor everyone is likely to enjoy. Ryuji recommends it for people who want some variety from the same nanakusa gayu every year. They also said kids might not be thrilled with porridge alone, but they'd probably love the risotto. Ryuji's call to viewers: buy one set and make half of each, and if you make them, post about it on X.

Even though they skipped all the tedious prep work, it doesn't taste like it, does it? It tastes carefully made, doesn't it? Ryuji emphasized. Both of them finished everything, which means they each ate about 1 go, but they said it felt light. The conversation turned to how, during New Year's, after a run of rich food from osechi and drinking, it's nice to have a meal like this for at least one day.

There was also small talk while waiting on the cooking. Ryuji says that over the New Year they met Rui Yoshida, known for his bar-hopping travel show. He is one of three "people I want to meet before I die," and more than someone they like, he's a "god," Ryuji says. The protagonist of Solitary Gourmet doesn't drink, but Rui Yoshida actually goes to the bars and really drinks. Ryuji says there are celebrities who sell themselves as drink lovers but don't actually drink, and that if Rui Yoshida turned out to be like that too, they wouldn't be able to trust the world. In reality, at 76 (turning 77 this year), he was drinking at a faster pace than Ryuji, they say. The meeting came about through an introduction from an acquaintance, Mr. Morita, and Ryuji said they had been saying for years that they wanted to meet him.

They also touched on the filming circumstances. Because it's the first three days of the New Year, other employees turned down the shoot. It still hasn't been decided who will handle the editing. Ryuji personally had no year-end or New Year holidays back when they worked at a hotel, so they aren't particular about wanting this day off. Even so, the company wants to be a "good company," so it gives employees the year-end and New Year period off. But it's a problem at times like this, they grumbled.

Finally, they shared their resolutions for the year. Ryuji's resolution is "to enjoy." Cooking isn't fun unless you enjoy it, they say, looking back on how they were tired at times last year, with viewers even asking, "Isn't Ryuji tired lately?" So they'll do more of what they enjoy, they said. A-ko's resolution is to grow the short-form videos even more, land sponsorship deals, and aim for a raise. Ryuji laughs at them for being "all about work right from the start of the New Year," and the video ends.