Ohan to Kayaku (Gardenia Rice with Fish and Vegetable Stew)

Quick answer

Total time: 75 min
Level: Hard
Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients: 15

About this dish

Ohan to kayaku is an Usuki ceremonial meal pairing rice colored yellow with gardenia fruit and a hearty stew of tofu, burdock, daikon, carrot, onion, and white-fleshed lizardfish.

The gardenia infusion is strained and used promptly because prolonged soaking can dull the bright yellow or turn it greenish. For the kayaku, drained tofu is crumbled into oil, followed by minced fish and firm vegetables, then dashi and soy-based seasoning create a warm, substantial soup spooned directly over the rice. One story says the frugal Usuki domain developed yellow rice as an alternative to costly red bean rice. Another links its color to paella encountered through Nanban trade under the Christian lord Otomo Sorin. Merchants also cooked large pots of kayaku on New Year's Eve and reheated them through the first three days of the year.

Ingredients (5 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
short-grain rice	3	cup
rice cooking water	3.6	cup
food-grade dried gardenia fruits	3	piece
tofu	0.5	block
small burdock root	1	piece
small daikon	1	piece
carrot	1	piece
Japanese long onions	2	stalk
cleaned food-grade lizardfish	1	fish
dashi	480	ml
vegetable oil	2	tbsp
dark soy sauce	1	tsp
light soy sauce	1	tbsp
mirin	0.5	tbsp
sake	2	tbsp

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Coarsely crush the gardenia fruits in a food processor.

Soak in 1 cup of the measured rice water for 10 minutes, strain through cloth or a fine sieve, and recombine the yellow liquid with the remaining rice water.
2

Heat

Rinse the rice, drain for 20 minutes, and cook it with the gardenia water using a standard white-rice setting.

When done, fold from top to bottom to distribute the yellow color evenly.
3

Prep

Press the tofu for 15 minutes.

Remove the lizardfish head, innards, and bones and mince the flesh. Shave and soak the burdock briefly; cut carrot and daikon into thick sticks, slice one onion diagonally, and cut the other into 1 cm pieces.
4

Control

Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat, crumble in the tofu, and fry for 3 minutes.

Add the minced lizardfish, break it up, and cook until opaque. Add burdock, daikon, carrot, and diagonally sliced onion in that order and fry 4 minutes more.
5

Control

Add the dashi, bring to a boil, and skim.

Stir in both soy sauces, mirin, and sake and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the roots are tender and the fish reaches at least 63°C. Add the 1 cm onion pieces 1 minute before turning off the heat.
6

Finish

Divide the gardenia rice among five bowls and ladle the kayaku solids and broth generously over it.

Serve hot so yellow rice, tofu, fish, and root vegetables can be eaten together in each spoonful.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: A brief food-grade gardenia infusion cooks the rice a bright yellow.
Finish cue: Stir in both soy sauces, mirin, and sake and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the roots are tender and the fish reaches at least 63°C.
Avoid this: Use only food-grade gardenia fruit and do not soak it for an extended period.
Storage and reheating: One story says the frugal Usuki domain developed yellow rice as an alternative to costly red bean rice.