Cha-gayu 茶粥

A modern rendition of Cha-gayu.

The Classic Style - hopefully with the essence of the old capital.

When last I saw my friend Chika in Japan, she bestowed me with many

delectable food gifts.One of which happened to be a vacuum-sealed bag of roasted green tea (Houji Cha) from Kyoto.

Chika, ever the Kyoto connoisseur, always picks the good stuff!

I immediately knew I would use this tea to make cha-gayu.

Cha-gayu is more of a regional rice porridge associated with Kansai (Western Japan), and is prepared by cooking rice with brewed Houji Cha ほうじ茶.

It is a traditional breakfast food, contrary to Shira-gayu 白粥　in Kanto (Eastern Japan).

Where as Cha-gayu is associated with breakfast, Shira-gayu (white porridge) is associated with invalid food, ranking similar to dry toast in America.

I tried to do a modern take on Cha-Gayu. (1st pic)

Sprinkled with a mix of freeze dried radish greens and flowers, (also brought back from Japan) it's quite pretty. But nothing remotely resembling the Kyoto style and tradition.

To me, it almost became garish, and Hello Kitty-esque. The furikake mix that I used, was unfortunately very salty and utterly overpowered the unique aroma of this roasted tea.

The tea, unlike any I've had before had a very elusive, elegant bouquet.

It refused to become modern.

I had to go back to tradition, (Over a thousand years for Kyoto) and rely on the tried and true. Umeboshi (pickled plum) and shio konbu (salted kelp), both traditional accompaniments to Cha-gayu. Knowing that less is more, I kept the add-ins minimal and austere.This time, the fragrance of the tea did not fade or get overpowered.

The subtle woody/smoky nuances of the tea lingered, enhanced by the sour plum and the salty essence of kelp, reminiscent of the sea. Somethings don't need modernization.

This tea was one of those things.