Japanese Home Remedies For Winter

As the weather turns chillier in the winter months, many people start to feel a little under the weather and may look to warm drinks and soups as a natural home remedy for fighting off a cold. Known for using ingredients to their full potential, Japanese home remedies provide nutrients and comfort to help you feel healthier. Here are some of the best traditional Japanese cold remedies for winter.

Shogayu

The Japanese word for ‘ginger tea’, this warm drink is Japan’s answer to ‘lemon and honey’, as it is commonly used to treat colds. Two teaspoons of fresh grated ginger and two teaspoons of sugar are mixed into a cup of hot water to produce this sweet and spicy soothing tea. Fresh ginger is essential for this drink, as it provides many medicinal benefits. Image Credit: T.Tseng

Okayu

A mild porridge made from white rice and water, this easy to digest dish is perfect for people who are feeling unwell. The amount of water used depends on how you like your porridge, or how much you want to eat, but it can range between 5 and 20 times as much water to rice! While the porridge can be eaten plain to help settle stomachs, or as something to eat if you don’t have an appetite, others like to top the dish with pickled plums, called umeboshi, or an egg.

Tamagozake

A similar idea to eggnog, this drink involves heating up sake and stirring in a fresh beaten raw egg and honey. The tamagozake is then drunk very quickly. In addition to the egg, fresh ginger can be grated into the drink to enhance the taste and provide extra nutritional benefits. Image Credit: Lombroso

Zosui

A rice soup with an assortment of vegetables, this thin and mild dish is ideal for those feeling under the weather. Almost exclusively served up in winter, with the purpose of aiding those who are unwell, the soup is seasoned with miso or soy sauce for flavour. As well as vegetables, such as mushrooms, some zosui will also contain meat or seafood, offering a more filling meal. The rice can also be substituted for ramen or udon noodles, adding the potential for variety in the dish.

Negi-Miso-Yu

A hot green onion drink, negi-miso-yu is simply chopped green onions in boiling water, with two teaspoons of miso stirred in. The ingredients are left to steep in the water until it is cool enough to drink, and the whole mixture is drunk. This simple drink is great for easing up the symptoms of colds, with green onion being a common ingredient in many other home remedy recipes. Next time you are not feeling at your best, why not try one of these health-boosting home remedies?! All the ingredients you will need are available at our Japanese supermarket online and in store.