Kandaba Jushi
カンダバージューシー·(kandabaa juushii)
Asa to Jushi: Grounding Morning Rhythms
If you ask an Okinawan grandmother what dish tastes most like resilience and love, she will likely point you to Kandaba Jushi. It is a bubbling, savory rice porridge built on a potent, no-nonsense broth of bonito and pork. Historically, sweet potato leaves fed families when times were desperate, but today, they are the earthy, velvety star of a deeply nostalgic comfort food. You can find these leaves—often labeled 'yam leaves'—at almost any local Asian market in the States. Make this on a chaotic Tuesday night or a slow Sunday morning; it requires exactly one pot and delivers the authentic, grounding embrace of a home you might be a long way from.
Before you start
Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse until the water runs mostly clear, and let it drain for thirty minutes.
This allows the grains to hydrate slightly with ambient moisture, ensuring they break down beautifully and evenly into the broth without turning gritty.
Separate the tough sweet potato stems from the tender leaves.
Chop the stems into small pieces and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces, keeping them in separate piles since they will be added to the pot at different times.
Ingredients
- Japanese short-grain white rice1 cup
- water7 cup
- Japanese dashi powder1 tbsp
- skin-on pork belly4 oz
- fresh sweet potato leaves6 oz
- white miso2 tbsp
- soy sauce1 tsp
- butter1 tsp
- kosher salt1 pinch
Method
- 01
Combine the water, dashi powder, diced pork belly, and chopped sweet potato stems in a large pot.
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat and skim off any gray foam or impurities that rise to the surface from the pork.
- 02
Add the drained rice and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Leave the pot uncovered and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom, until the rice grains blossom and the liquid thickens into a soupy consistency.
- 03
Whisk the miso with a ladle of hot broth in a small bowl until smooth, then stir it into the pot along with the soy sauce.
Taste the deeply savory porridge and add a pinch of kosher salt if it needs a little lift.
- 04
Turn off the heat entirely, immediately add the reserved sweet potato leaves and the butter, and stir gently for sixty seconds.
The residual heat will perfectly wilt the leaves in seconds without destroying their bright green color, while the fat emulsifies into the broth to instantly tenderize the greens.
- 05
Ladle the piping hot porridge into deep bowls.
If you want to take it over the edge, crack a raw egg into the center of the steaming porridge and stir it vigorously at the table to create a rich custard right in the bowl.
Notes
Use Spam or canned tuna if you do not have fresh pork belly.
If your grandma was working a 9-to-5 in Hawaii or Ohio, she absolutely used what she had on hand. Half a can of finely diced Spam or a can of oil-packed tuna is completely legitimate and delicious.
Swap in mature spinach or rainbow chard if you cannot find sweet potato leaves.
Sweet potato leaves (often labeled 'yam leaves' at Asian markets) are traditional, but standard spinach or chard will mimic their earthy flavor and fast-cooking nature perfectly in a pinch.
From Cook Okinawan in America.