3 Easy Ways to Make Ochazuke Rice Soup

Some Japanese people like white rice steeped in miso soup, and like that, Ochazuke (お茶漬け) or Chazuke has long been a staple rice soup dish in Japan. 

For the unfamiliar, Ochazuke is a bowl of white rice soaked in hot green tea or soup and typically garnished with some savory or salty toppings.

3 Easy Ways to Make Ochazuke

We Japanese have three easy ways to make Ochazuke, and today, I will share the methods for those interested.

With Japanese Green Tea

Ochazuke usually utilizes Japanese green tea, as the word Ocha (お茶) means tea in Japanese.

For the Chazuke with light-tasting main topping (Ex. Umeboshi plum, Tarako roe, or grilled salmon flakes), Sencha, Hojicha, or Genmaicha tea fits.

In contrast, if you want to put luxurious food on top, like grilled unagi, tempura, or seabream sashimi slices, the high-grade green tea variety Gyokuro is recommended.

Preparation

How to prepare Ochazuke with Japanese green tea is simple as follows.

1. Put the main topping and other garnishes, like wasabi, shredded nori, and white sesame seeds, on a bowl of white rice.
2. Pour hot green tea until it almost entirely soaks the rice.
3. Enjoy the Ochazuke soup!

With Dashi Broth

Some people like to make Ochazuke with soup stock, and those usually use powdered dashi granules like Ajinomoto Hondashi or a Kombu tea base.

I recommend the latter kelp tea base to make this type, as the seaweed powder has plenty of natural umami.

Preparation

How to prepare Chazuke with dashi granules is also straightforward, like this.

1. Put the main topping and other garnishes on a bowl of white rice.
2. After adding a teaspoon of Ajinomoto Hondashi or a proper amount of kelp seaweed powder, pour boiling water sufficiently.
3. Enjoy the Ochazuke soup!

With Ochazuke Nori Seasoning

You can readily make Chazuke if you prepare an Ochazuke Nori seasoning like this. It is similar to Furikake and comes in various flavors.

The easiest way is this because the seasoning mix already contains both soup base powder and garnishes.

Preparation

How to make Chazuke with Ochazuke Nori Seasoning is like this.

1. Sprinkle a bag of Ochazuke Nori Seasoning on a bowl of plain rice and pour in boiling water.
2. Garnish the rice with toppings, like Umeboshi or Tarako, if desired.
3. Enjoy the Ochazuke soup!