Ochazuke Recipe: How to Make Japanese Tea Rice

Ochazuke, also known as chazuke and cha-cha gohan, is a Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, hot water, or dashi broth over cooked rice with various toppings. In Japanese, ocha translates to “tea,” and zuke means “to submerge.” In Japan, grocery stores sell instant ochazuke with freeze-dried toppings, which makes for a quick snack, but you can easily make it at home with leftover rice.

During the Heian period, hot water was commonly poured over cooked rice to make a dish called yuzuke. Ochazuke is a variation of that dish with tea, and it became popular in the Edo period when it was served to soldiers to build stamina and stave off hunger before battle.

A bowl of ochazuke is not complete without toppings. Some of the most popular additions to ochazuke include:

1. 1. Nori: Top your rice with nori, a toasted seaweed.
2. 2. Furikake: This Japanese dry condiment typically consists of sprinkles of nori, sesame seeds, dried fish eggs, salt, and sugar.
3. 3. Arare: Top your rice with small Japanese rice crackers.
4. 4. Sesame seeds: Add toasted, coarsely ground sesame seeds to your ochazuke.
5. 5. Herbs: Top your rice with herbs such as mitsuba (Japanese parsley) and shiso.
6. 6. Tsukemono: Tsukemono, Japanese-style pickles such as takuan (pickled daikon) and umeboshi (pickled plum), add flavor to ochazuke.
7. 7. Fish eggs: Fish eggs such as mentaiko (pollock roe) and ikura (salmon roe) add flavor and texture.
8. 8. Fish: Add protein to the dish with fish, such as cooked salmon fillets.
9. 9. Scallions: Top your rice with scallions thinly sliced on the diagonal.
10. 10. Wasabi: To add some heat to your ochazuke, top the rice with wasabi.
11. 11. Shio kombu: Shredded, salted kelp can add texture to the dish.