Talking about Japanese delicacies, you may not be easily forgiven if you omit ochazuke from the list. Matching the perfect flavor, with the perfect aroma and amazing health benefits, ochazuke is a popular delight. Very palatable, ochazuke is yet very easy to prepare. This dish is basically prepared by a masterful combination of green tea with your rice making a lovely Japanese cuisine perfect for just any time of your day. Indigenously in Kyoto in native Japanese, ochazuke is alternatively referred to as bubuzuke. While originating as far as the Edo period, in modern times we readily ochazuke packaged with some lovely toppings (most times freeze-dried) and seasoning. Let us expansively learn about ochazuke therefore.
Table of Contents
What really is Ochazuke
Let us begin by digging deeper into the amazing ochazuke. Ochazuke is very traditional and sacredly esteemed by the basic Japanese. It is one of the most basic dishes you would readily come across in a Japanese cuisine.
The ingredient and makeup
So talking about the fundamental ingredients of ochazuke, there you have your green tea, rice, and some other assorted traditional ingredients. In more common cases, ochazuke can be made from pouring your brewed tea (when it is notably hot) over your steamed rice (preferably short grain). This is the basic ochazuke, your rice immersed in hot brewed tea.
The lovely toppings
However so as to enhance the delicacy, some assorted toppings would have to come in to make things lovelier. In the western mode of preparation, the toppings could be your vegetables, seafood, pickles, meats or even seaweed. But using the indigenous approach, you would add Japanese toppings like furikake, nori, umeboshi, shiokara, mentaiko as well as your wasabi.
In Europe and across America, the general culture is to enjoy ochazuke as a quick ready soup may be taken in form of a prelude anticipating the main meal. But in Japan, it is a wholesome dish on its own, not just stew or some fanciful light soup.
Admittedly, ochazuke is one delicacy with quite a multiplicity of ingredients and means of preparation. Most times, you can see ochazuke packaged in customary packets in form of “instant ochazuke”. This is a very nutritious and healthy alternative that can adequately substitute your fast foods. Alternatively, you can take the gourmet style and combine some top-grade sencha tea with some lovely koshihikari rice.
History of Ochazuke
So you may be curious to know how this amazing delicacy came about.
Dating as far back as the Heian age
Well, the origin of ochazuke is quite an interesting one. Would you be amazed to learn that ochazuke dates as far back as the Heian era? Here ochazuke started off in form of a meal where you pour hot water over a bowl of rice. This was initially called yuzuke. Yuzuke became very popularly for its adoption in the Muromachi era where it was a common delicacy during banquets. This was precisely around 794–1185 in Japan where it was a common practice to enjoy your rice swimming in hot water.
The water came to be replaced with tea
Then as dietary changes came with the passing age, the idea came to try green tea in place of the hot water poured over the bowl of rice. This was how the modern version of ochazuke came into the major spotlight. This became widespread in that time as people found it more enjoyable to pour brewed tea over their rice rather than just pour water on their bowl of rice.
Of course, man is naturally inquisitive and the curiosity which gave birth to the experiment of replacing water with green tea (graduating from yuzuke to ochazuke) went further. Curiously, people went on trying a porridge recipe of ochazuke where rice was combined with potatoes as well as chestnut. This was locally called Naracha. This is was more during the Edo period (1603–1867).
From the 1970s, instant ochazuke became very popular. They flooded Japanese supermarkets being massively loved for being so quick and easy to eat.
Is There Really an Ideal Time to Enjoy Ochazuke?
As we earlier pointed out, ochazuke can be readily enjoyed as a quick snack in form of the instant ochazuke packages or in form of a staple dish garnished sufficiently with lots of lovely toppings.
Ochazuke as the go-to guy
Looking at the beneficial side, you can readily resort to your ochazuke when you are suffering heartburns. This can be attributed to the fact that is very gentle on your digestive system. The same accurately applies to when you are suffering stomach upset – ochazuke is readily there for your relief. You can also find ochazuke very useful when you are suffering from a worrisome hangover or severe cold. We would be touching further on the health benefits of ochazuke later in course of this exposition.
Children readily find ochazuke enjoyable when served to them by their guardians mostly as a “comfort food”. In Japan, bachelors just as much as students are crazily in love with ochazuke. This is because it can be prepared so quickly yet so nutritious.
Ochazuke as an outdoor meal
You can readily enjoy your ochazuke in restaurants as well. Most times restaurants would serve you ochazuke as a final dish. In parties, ochazuke is also served popularly at kaiseki meals. In such kaiseki meals, you would be served some delicious ochazuke before dessert at the tail end of a course meal.
Of late, we are beginning to see ochazuke specialty restaurants sprout out everywhere. It is becoming trendier. You can easily come across ochazuke cafés. They give you an adept and very enjoyable treat of the real traditional ochazuke gourmet. Sure you to get you licking your lips.
Enjoying Ochazuke in the Comfort of Your Home
While we have been more of exploring ochazuke as an outdoor delicacy, it would suffice to point out here that ochazuke can be lovably enjoyed as a homemade delicacy typical of a family meal.
Ochazuke as that homely quickie
More commonly at homes, we readily savor ochazuke as a comfort food. While others could eat it up at home as a filler snack. Others would take it as a quickie preferably at home as a midnight snack. As said, it is a great remedy for a hangover.
Ochazuke as a comprehensive dish
While all this may necessarily describe ochazuke as a makeweight meal, this is not the correct picture. Ochazuke is comprehensive and wholesome enough to take as a substantial meal either as breakfast or for your lunch or family dinner.
Basically, the ochazuke prepared at home is made from brown rice. It is more common to use short-grain rice as well. Others readily make use of leftover rice as well then garnish it sufficiently with some lovely cooked fish or even pickles. You can also use several salted dishes. These sort of dishes are referred to in Japan as tsukudani. Then comes in your tea. Definitely, you have other options than your green tea. You can also use your non-black tea or other mild teas.
At home, ochazuke is also enjoyed in form of dried ochazuke seasonings. You can readily add these deliciously dried seasonings to your steamed rice and readily pour your rea over it and you are good to go. This delicious combo enhances that homely feeling helping you feel right at home with the first bite.
How to Make a Delicious Bowl of Ochazuke?
Are you already drooling for ochazuke? Well, let us learn how to make a sumptuous bowl of ochazuke.
☞Follow these steps ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)
- Step 1: Choose the befitting size of bowl which would do for the snack. It is advisable to try a small rice bowl (typically Japanese) but you could use a bigger one if you are preparing a larger quantity.
- Step 2: Make sure to add a sufficient amount of rice to your bowl as would suffice for your appetite.
- Step 3: It would be helpful if your rice is warm, particularly when you are making use of leftover rice. So try put your rice prior in a microwave to heat up.
- Step 4: Now combine your rice with your chosen toppings for lovely garnishing. Now thoroughly get your ochazuke set.
- Step 5: Forthwith, get your tea. You have options to choose from when it comes to which tea to brew for the ochazuke. You can use Sencha tea (which is your typical tea → You can get it here.) or you can use houjicha(→You can get it here.) in form of roasted green tea. Others also use genmaicha tea. You can also go the ancient way if you don’t want to use brewed tea for your ochazuke.
It is not really ideal to use black tea for your ochazuke. This is necessarily because the flavor of black tea would eventually be too strong. Therefore this is not befitting as conventionally ochazuke is more enjoyed with a mild flavor. You can as well go with a much quicker choice of pouring hot boiled water on your bowl of rice.
Health benefits of Ochazuke
You would savor ochazuke even more when you learn about its enchanting health benefits.
Ochazuke protects your mouth from bacteria
In natural conditions, our mouths are vulnerable to infection mostly from bacteria. One of such notorious bacteria which troubles our mouth is Streptococcus mutans which can be really harmful to the mouth. Most of the tooth decay and cavity are the results of this streptococcus mutans working its infamous havoc. Fortunately, ochazuke can rid us of mouth infection from virus and bacteria.
This owes to the catechin composition which comes with your green tea. Overall, a more habitual consumption of ochazuke gives you impressive foolproof protection against mouth bacteria, improving your general dental health. In other cases, ochazuke would reduce your mouth odor, giving you a nice breath. Isn’t this exciting?
Ochazuke reduces your risk of diabetes
Diabetes can really be a worrisome health condition. Rightly said, type 2 diabetes is one very notorious disease that has ravaged humanity affecting more than 400 million all over the world. Fundamentally, diabetes comes with heightened sugar levels.
It is more prevalent when your body struggles to produce the adequate quantity of insulin for regulation of blood sugar. The good news is that ochazuke reduces your chance of falling to diabetes. An increased consumption of ochazuke would reduce your risk of diabetes by more than 20%.
Ochazuke is good for your heart as well
As we earlier noted, ochazuke is great at relieving you of heartburns. More than, ochazuke protects you from dangerous heart diseases by appropriately regulating your cholesterol level.
So there we are! We have walked through a detailed exposition of ochazuke from what it is through its history, Japanese ochazuke culture all through the way to make it as well as its amazing health benefits. Have you enjoyed your time learning expansively about ochazuke tea?
So if you want to whirlaway time while keeping your teeth deliciously busy, you can readily make do with some sumptuous instant ochazuke in form of a quickie snack. But if you want some fuller and tastier, you can get it homemade and well savory with some tantalizing toppings. Hence, are you aching for the next bite of ochazuke?
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