There is perhaps nothing more rewarding for a chef than to get out into the field and secure the best ingredients possible: vegetables, dry goods, fish and seasonings. The early spring is especially exciting because the season for foraging wild plants officially begins.

Sansai — the Japanese name for native shoots, buds, stems, flowers and leaves — literally means "mountain vegetables" or "mountain greens." Sansai remain an important part of traditional Japanese cuisine — in fine-dining kaiseki restaurants, at izakaya pubs and at the family table.

Many of these vegetables are now cultivated and brought to market, but hardcore enthusiasts — myself included — would rather trudge out into these damp fields and gather the bounty for free. Several of the most important wild sansai greens are commonly found all over the world but are unfortunately regarded as weeds, especially by lawn-obsessed suburbanites. Rather than gather the bounty, they eradicate these "eyesores" that pop up in their front yards.

Just after the New Year, on Jan. 7, the jinjitsu no sekku is observed. The festival of People's Day is celebrated by eating nanakusa-gayu, a rice porridge with seven specific wild sansai. Following the Chinese tradition, eating nanakusa-gayu in the early hours of the morning or late at night is said to ensure good health for the coming year.

The recipe for nanakusa-gayu is told in a folk song, making it pretty easy to remember, even if you've never made the dish before. For city-bound folks here in Japan, most markets sell a seven-herb set on Jan. 7 to make this natural bounty available to all.

While nanakusa-gayu is only eaten once a year, other types of rice gruel — kayu or o-kayu — are eaten year-round. Kayu is a typical traditional breakfast food — now being outpaced by toast and coffee for many. It is also served late at night after a long meal. When children are sick, their mother will often make o-kayu to help them regain their strength — serving the role in Japan that chicken soup plays in many parts of the West.

The following is a list of common spring sansai — the first seven are the seven herbs of nanakusa-gayu. Following that is a recipe for sansai-gayu, though you may use any greens or herbs you want and serve it year-round.

The seven herbs of nanakusa-gayu are:

Seri (water dropwort) — A member of the evening primrose/sundrops family, also good in sukiyaki or as tempura

Nazuna (shepherd's purse) — Related to mustard, very common, used as a salve in Chinese and Western herbal medicine

Hahakogusa (sweet cudweed) — Very common, used to cure sore throats

Hakobe (chickweed) — One of the most common weeds in the world.

Hotokenoza (henbit) — Of the mint family, as is shiso

Suzuna — turnip greens

Suzushiro — daikon root

Other spring sansai include:

Fukinoto (bud of the coltsfoot plant) — Buds of this wild chrysanthemum are good as tempura or vinegared.

Karasu no endo (wild pea shoots) — Literally translated as "crow's pea," this green is good in fresh or dressed aemono salads.

Tanpopo (dandelion greens) — Also a chrysanthemum, very good as o-hitashi or kinpira, also good in salads

Yomogi (wormwood) — Chrysanthemum, used mostly in mochi or other rice balls

Tara no me (buds of the angelica tree) — Best as tempura

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Sansai-gayu

The general rule for kayu is 1 part rice to 7 parts water. When you make a large batch (4 or more cups of rice), the water may reduced to about 5 parts. Kayu is often cooked in an earthenware pot and served at the table in the same pot. Season lightly with salt; kayu is supposed to be a very subtle dish.

2 cups uncooked white rice, washed
14 cups water salt
2 cups wild greens, washed, blanched and chopped

1) Place washed and drained rice with water in a pot. On high heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until water has reduced by two-thirds and rice is soft but not fallen apart completely.

2) Reduce heat to low, and add salt to taste.

3) Wash greens, and blanch in boiling water to remove any bitterness. Dunk in ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and squeeze out any excess water. Finely chop blanched greens and add to kayu.

4) Turn up the heat to make the kayu piping hot before serving. Serve with pickles and hot tea. Serves 4-6.