Ochazuke (Green Tea Over Rice)

Ochazuke in a bowl with assorted toppings on the side and a white tea pitcher

Ochazuke (Green Tea Over Rice)

Ochazuke, is a delicious way to enjoy rice. Although the “Ocha” in Ochazuke means green tea, it’s often prepared with dashi instead, which gives it a rich and delicious flavor. Ochazuke is a wonderful light meal that you can serve up anytime.

Entrees Japanese Rice

Ochazuke is a dish that anybody who has spent time in Japan is familiar with. The meaning of Ochazuke is “steeped in green tea”. Ochazuke in its simplest form is simply white rice with green tea poured over it – It’s the perfect dish when you are getting over a stomach flu and need something bland to fill you up when you can’t eat anything heavy. So I almost think of it as the equivalent of dry toast or soda crackers in the West.

But just like you can embellish toast or crackers with amazing spreads, dips and toppings, Ochazuke can be embellished and made into a sophisticated and delicious dish. Technically, the recipe I am going to share with you is for “Dashi Chazuke” – where the rice is steeped in a delicious dashi soup instead of green tea. The dashi imparts a delicious umami flavor on this dish and the toppings add a lot to the meal. Instead of a bland bowl of rice, the dashi transforms the dish into a meal fit for a King! But you could always substitute green tea for the dashi if you want a dish that is more traditional.

Homemade Ochazuke with salmon flakes and rice in a rich dashi broth.

Tea or dashi, there are a few ingredients that you almost always find in Ochazuke that you will need to have on hand:

Thin cut nori – Nori, or laver, is pressed seaweed that normally is sold in sheets. It’s the same ingredient that sushi is wrapped with.
Bubu Arare – Bubu Arare are miniature rice crackers shaped into tiny balls. They taste like a crunchy version of puffed brown rice add flavor and texture to your ochazuke.
Shirogoma – White sesame seeds are usually added for flavor and texture as well.
Wasabi – You can almost always find a small amount of grated wasabi served with ochazuke. Wasabi adds a kick to the rice without overpowering the dish.
White rice– I use the same short grained white rice that is used to make sushi. But almost any type of rice will work.
Green Tea or Dashi – Green tea or dashi both work very well. Tea is lighter and more bland, where dashi when flavored properly adds tremendous flavor to the dish.

Toppings are also a must for homemade ochazuke. Umeboshi plums, Mentaiko (cod roe), salmon flakes, and Konbu are all popular toppings to enjoy over your meal. I like to mix them up but some people would rather stick with their favorite.

‘Try out this delicious recipe and let us know what you think in the comments section, below.

Ochazuki (Green Tea Over Rice) お茶漬け

Ochazuke is easy to make, but one of the keys is to serve the dashi or tea in a separate container so that the rice does not absorb the liquid before you are ready to eat. I usually prepare the rice bowl first and then serve it with scalding hot liquid. If the rice cools down, the fresh liquid will heat the dish up nicely.

It’s up to individual preference as to how much prep work you do before serving. You can serve a bowl of rice with everything else on the side, or serve a completely prepared bowl of ochazuke without having the guests need to do anything.

The toppings called out are pretty typical. I like to top my ochazuke with some fresh herbs – mitsuba, shiso, ginger or myouga all complement the taste of Ochazuke.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
10 minutes	5 minutes	1 bowl

PREP	10 minutes
COOKING	5 minutes
YIELD	1 bowl

Ingredients:

Ochazuke

1 bowl cooked white rice
1 TBSP Bubu Arare
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Shredded Nori
1 Mitsuba leaf (or some fresh chopped scallion)
Wasabi (to taste)

Dashi

2 cups dashi (konbu dashi usually works best)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 TBSP cooking sake
1 TBSP mirin

Toppings (use one or all to taste)

Salmon Flakes
Umeboshi Plums
Mentai

Ochazuki Ingredients

Instructions:

Prepare the Dashi: Combine dashi, mirin, sake, and soy sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring to a light boil while stirring. Pour into a teapot.

Prepare Dashi for Ochazuki by heating liquid in a pot

Prepare the rice: Add the rice to a serving bowl. Top with sesame, bubu arare, nori strips and mitsuba leaves.

White rice to—Ed with Arare, nori and sesame with a fresh mitsuba leaf on top

Serve: Serve the Dashi, the Rice bowl, and the toppings and wasabi. Pour the dashi over the rice filling the bowl almost to the rim. Add toppings and mix in. Enjoy while continuing to add dashi and toppings to taste.

Ochazuke with Dashi poured in

Notes:

Mix and match the toppings to taste.
Use Japanese Green tea in place of dashi for a lighter and more bland taste. White rice in green tea is a good meal if you are getting over a stomach flu and looking for a light and bland meal. I think of it as a Japanese alternative to plain white toast.
The nutritional data below is for salmon Ochazuke. Lower the salt content by using unsalted nori, unsalted dashi, low sodium soy sauce, and unsalted fish.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

More Recipes by

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.