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Ochazuke: Rice in Green Tea Broth

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the end of tea week on One Ingredient Chef than with a traditional Japanese dish called Ochazuke, which is essentially rice topped with veggies and drenched in a broth of warm green tea. This is a simple, hearty, no-fuss way to use leftover rice for a quick meal in a pinch.

The great thing about this bowl is that you don’t have to read any further: you can easily make up your own list of ingredients to clean out your fridge. The ones I’ve included are fairly traditional, but as long as it has rice in a broth of tea with some savory toppings, it’s still Ochazuke. Want roasted pineapple or cucumber on your bowl? Go for it. If making this for a family, it can be fun to set out all the potential ingredients and let each person choose their own toppings.

Ochazuke Recipe

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked
  • 2/3 cup Japanese green tea
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms (Shiitake?)
  • 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 sheet roasted nori (seaweed)
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (optional)
  • 4 oz firm tofu (optional)

Step One: Rice and Veggies

Begin cooking the rice according to package instructions. I liked to use a short-grain, Japanese-style rice for this bowl (similar to sushi rice), but virtually any variety of rice will work.

Meanwhile, slice the carrots. parsley, and sheet of nori into thin strips. Slice your mushrooms. For this version, I used my absolute favorite mushroom (Enoki). They’re long, thin white mushrooms that resemble sprouts. However, I only used these because my grocery store was out of Shiitake, which would probably be an even better choice for this bowl. Shiitake, however, should not be eaten raw, as they can cause an allergic reaction in some people, and I would recommend steaming or sautéing them for 4-5 minutes if you go that route. Set all these ingredients aside until the rice is finished.

Step Two: Tofu

Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch thin slices, like the squares in the picture. Then, simply follow my How to Cook Tofu tutorial to get the perfect crust on your tofu. You can skip the seasoning step if you’d like and simply top with a little sea salt.

Step Three: Assemble the Bowl

To Assemble, add rice to a bowl. Top with the veggies, tofu, and sesame seeds. Then pour enough green tea over the top to create a broth. I would suggest adding a tablespoon of soy sauce over the top as well – it helps the more subtle flavors pop.

Ochazuke Wide

Ochazuke Spoon

We have reached the end of tea week! But to keep you busy with plenty of tea-inspired ideas, here’s a listing of the other recipes on One Ingredient Chef that feature tea as an ingredient:

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8 Comments

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  1. Wow, this looks amazing and incredibly healthy, thanks for sharing!
    I think I will make it with brown rice and see how it turns out!

  2. Just finished scarfing this down and WOW! My boyfriend and I LOVED it; didn’t have the nori on hand, but added in some edamame and it was awesome. I highly recommend the Silk Dragon Jasmine or Genmaicha green teas from David’s as the broth, and will be using this as an easy to-go lunch for school and work days!

  3. Thanks so much, Dani! This one seems so obscure like, “green tea… in rice?!” but it actually has really good simple flavors and I’m glad you discovered that too! 🙂

  4. I’ve been looking around the interwebz for some inspiration of what to put in my vegan take of ochazuke & you’ve definitely inspired me to use my favorite mushroom enoki too–does this make us enoki lover twinsies? Hah! Wonderful. I’ll probably use two types because…I love mushrooms! Wonderful website & recipe, Andrew! I’ll be following you on Bloglovin’ for more recipe inspiration. 😀

  5. Hi Andrew! Ochazuke is my most magical go-to meal. I eat it and eat it and eat it. Every week it provides me the quick and healthy (and surprisingly low calorie) fix I need for something nourishing and delicious that I can just eat and move on with my day. Please know that all my suggestions from here forward are from my intense love of ochazuke and just wanting to share some suggestions with fellow readers, and in no way at all a critique of your recipe!

    I learned to make it from a Japanese cook, and I have to recommend wasabi as an optional garnish. It’s a must for me, especially authentic wasabi (which you can find in a tube on Amazon if you search for authentic wasabi by Tamaruya). Another great condiment you can use is ume-shiso paste, which is available at some Asian grocery stores.

    Mitsuba is the usual herb garnish rather than parsley (and sometimes green onions). It’s flavor is really unique and it complements the other flavors wonderfully. Of course, it’s not readily available at stores for most people outside of Japan, but it is a breeze to grow for anyone with an herb garden, and seeds are easy to find online (mine were from Kitazawa Seed Co.). I definitely, definitely recommend it for anyone with the patience who likes this dish enough to make it often. Can even grow it indoors in pots, though if you grow it outside it will re-seed itself in fall and come back every spring. I recommend it to you if you are eating a lot of ochazuke! You will love it!

    I noticed your shiitake suggestion with a question mark. You could definitely use that, and it would impart more flavor to the broth too, though their flavor is so strong it would definitely become the dominant flavor of this otherwise mellow dish.

    I checked out your recipe because I’m looking for ideas how to make it vegan and love it as much as I do with salted salmon. I think tofu is a great idea. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your recipe!

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