Japanese Rice Soups | Ochazuke

[cteavin]

 

 

If you'd like to see the video, click this link to go to YouTube.


This is called Ochatuke in Japanese. It literally means to pour tea over rice, but it is so much more. The idea is that you layer the flavors you want with the tea you have and I made a video tutorial about it -- there is no one recipe for it, ochazuke is working with what you have and what you know of flavors. For example, Ume Ochazuke is

1/2 cooked white rice

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed (for fragrance)

1 umeboshi (pickled plum) for sweetness/sourness/saltiness

1 tablespoon green scallion for flavor

top that bowl off with green tea and salt and you have a simple lunch done in just a couple of minutes.



Another version is

1/2 cup brown rice cooked with mushroom stock

1/4 -1/2 cup slice shiitake mushrooms (whatever cooked mushrooms will work)

a pinch of wasabi for bite

a crumble of rice cracker for texture and salt

top that bowl off with green tea or hojicha (roasted green tea) and you're off.


The idea in making the video and posting about it here is to make people re-think what soup is and what they can do with tea and leftovers. 



Ochazuke is under appreciated outside Japan. It's quick, flexible, and healthy.

[Tropicalsenior]

Beautiful video. Thank you

[cteavin]

7 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Beautiful video. Thank you

You're welcome. I hope you give this a shot sometime.

[Tropicalsenior]

2 minutes ago, cteavin said:

You're welcome. I hope you give this a shot sometime.

I live in Costa Rica and unfortunately, very few of the ingredients are available to me. There are rumors of a Japanese supply store opening near me and I hope that they are true because this looks very interesting and appetizing.

[cteavin]

6 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I live in Costa Rica and unfortunately, very few of the ingredients are available to me. There are rumors of a Japanese supply store opening near me and I hope that they are true because this looks very interesting and appetizing.

 

The only think you would need would be some kind of tea. I use Jasmine tea or Barley tea in the summer. The idea is less about the "recipe" and more about what you can do with the idea.

 

Personally, if I were where you are, I'd try it with (Yerba) Matte (assuming it's available all over Central and South America. 😁).

[Teronms]

The video is gorgeous, it motivates me to start cooking Ochazuke! Your work is really worthy, thanks for sharing!