Ochazuke is such quintessential tea food that it seems like I should have posted about it long ago. This recipe is simple, humble, and comforting–the type of meal you can enjoy as a healthy breakfast, lunch or even as a snack.
Ochazuke is basically green tea poured over rice. Some flakes of fish are often used to top the rice and, if you want to get fancy, you can also top with condiments like crunchy rice crackers, sliced scallions and some confetti-like cut nori.
The fantastic thing about Ochazuke is that you can enjoy it with so many types of Japanese tea. Hojicha, Genmaicha, Sencha and Gyokuro all work well here.
Can you guess which tea I enjoyed my Ochazuke with? I ended up choosing Gyokuro for its intense sea-like taste and emerald green color. It’s one of my favorites for pairing with seafood, wonderful if you enjoy a strong taste of umami!
Ochazuke
Ingredients:
| - cooked rice | |
| - salmon, cooked & flaked | |
| - hot Gyokuro Japanese tea, steeped strong | |
| - rice cracker balls | |
| - green onion, sliced | |
| - nori, cut into small strips |
Directions:
1. Place the cooked rice in a bowl and top with flaked fish. Scatter some rice crackers, green onion and nori atop the rice.
2. To serve, pour hot tea over the rice and enjoy immediately!
