Wasabi Chazuke: Rice Soup with Japanese Horseradish
When it comes to Japanese rice condiments, Furikake (ふりかけ) is quite well-recognized overseas, and nowadays, various varieties are available online outside of Japan.
But have you ever heard that Japan has one more such product called Ochazuke no Moto (お茶漬けの素: meaning Ochazuke Base)?
Ochazuke no Moto is the base seasoning of Ochazuke, a rice bowl dish consisting of a bowl of white rice soaked in hot green tea.
The tea-steeped rice is usually garnished with salty or savory toppings, like Umeboshi/grilled salmon flakes.
But Ochazuke no Mono contains all the ingredients you need to prepare to make Ochazuke, like what I introduce here.
Wasabi Chazuke (わさび茶漬)
Ochazuke is sometimes called Chazuke, and this Hon-Wasabi Chazuke (本わさび茶漬) base’s main flavoring is grated Japanese horseradish called Wasabi (わさび).
The food has a pungent taste, and this Ochazuke gets its umami from the ingredients such as seafood extract, powdered soy sauce, amino acids, and pork seasoning.
Cooking
The cooking of Wasabi Chazuke using this base seasoning is straightforward.
First, prepare a bowl of steamed plain rice. Then, sprinkle one packet of the Wasabi Chazuke no Moto, and pour boiling water until the rice is entirely soaked.
Taste
The taste of the resultant rice soup is umami-rich and close to that of Japanese Kombucha rather than green tea.
Incidentally, the garnish consists of Arare rice crackers, shredded nori seaweed, and Wasabi horseradish bits.
The dish tastes great, accompanied by a little bit of kick from Wasabi.
Ochazuke no Moto is one of Japan’s favorite rice condiments and is worth trying if you are a Furikake lover.
Nagatanien Ochazuke Nori Seasoning
This Wasabi Chazuke no Moto may be unavailable in your country, but Japan’s top-selling Ochazuke no Moto, Nagatanien Ochazuke Nori, is relatively easy to get.
As I wrote in this article, you can easily make Wasabi Chazuke with the base seasoning by adding Wasabi paste after making Ochazuke from the flakes and hot water.
Ochazuke is one of Japan’s most-loved comfort foods, so if you are interested, why not give it a try? It is a simple but worth-a-try, tasty rice soup!
