Ochazuke

"A lot of people think Japanese food is difficult, a lot of work. But you don't have to buy the knife I have. You don't have to train as long as I have. You can do my cooking in your kitchen."

-- Masaharu Morimoto

Ochazuke is a Japanese dish. It is a bowl of rice with different toppings, and then hot green tea or dashi broth poured on top. Typical toppings are different kinds of vegetable pickles and seaweed. However, in some places, they also use flying fish, bonito, mackerel, and salmon. In the Shizuoka prefecture, grilled eel is used as a topping and it is called "Unacha" and it is a famous specialty of Shizuoka prefecture.

This is a quick and easy dish that is packed with nutrients and a ton of flavour. The version that I have here as a recipe and in the video, is the dashi broth version, but feel free to try the green tea version as well. Keep in mind that green tea has a much more fresh and earthy flavour, so if you are not use the taste of green tea, know that that's what you can expect. But both version are delicious and I can't wait for you to give them a go! Happy eating!

Ingredients:

1 cup - Rice (cooked)

Salted Salmon

Roasted sesame seeds

Wasabi

Nori (dried seaweed)

Umeboshi (salted Japanese plums)

Dashi Broth:

1 1/2 cups (385g) - Dashi broth (if you're using the powdered form use 1 packet and the same amount of water.)

1tsp - Mirin (Japanese rice wine)

1 tsp - Soy Sauce

Salt (optional)

Directions:

1. The best option is to have everything ready to go before you prepare your "soup" base, or as the French say, "Mise en place", to put in place. So, prepare your rice and sesame seeds, and unpackage your nori, umeboshi, fish, wasabi and any other toppings you may want to use, such as Bubu Arare, which are tiny rice cracker balls.

2. To prepare the "soup", pour your dashi broth into a small pot.

3. Add the mirin and soy sauce and stir to quickly mix together.

4. Heat the mixture on medium heat and allow it to simmer for a few minutes, then take it off the heat.

5. In a serving bowl, place the rice. You don't have to shape it into a mound, but it looks nicer!

6. On top of and around the rice, add your toppings: salmon, sesame seeds, umeboshi, nori, etc.

7. Pour the broth around the rice and serve hot! Enjoy!