Whether it’s a warm or chilly day, get comfy with these ～Nagatanien’s Ochazuke～

Have you heard of the dish “ochazuke”?
It is a dish made by pouring hot tea over rice and has existed in Japan for many centuries.
They say people started adding toppings to their rice from the Edo period (17th century to mid-19th century).
Also, pouring in cold water instead of hot water, called “hiyashi (cold) chazuke,” is gaining popularity too.
This time, I will introduce you to ochazuke from Japan’s famous ochazuke manufacturer, Nagatanien!

Dashi Chazuke: Tencha Flavor

First, I will introduce a dashi chazuke in tencha flavor!

“Dashi chazuke” is where soup stock (dashi) is poured instead of tea.
Also, “tencha” is short for “tempura (deep-fried seafood・vegetables) ochazuke.”
Before you eat the ochazuke, you will need:
① Around 100g of rice
② A pack of ochazuke mix
③ Around 150ml of hot water
Once you have your ingredients, sprinkle the ochazuke mix on the rice and pour in hot water.

The left is a photo of the ochazuke mix on the rice.
It smells like bonito fish!
The right is a photo of the rice after I poured in hot water.
It smells really good!
I had one bite and I thought- delicious!
You can taste the bonito and the kombu seaweed inside the soup and the tencha flavor adds sweetness to the dish.
The tempura pearls add a nice crispy accent to the texture.
I think that this will be tasty cold, as a hiyashi ochazuke, too!
These dashi chazuke come in 4 flavors in packs of 2: “Tencha,” “Ume (pickled plum),” “Salmon,” and “Seaweed.”
The dashi chazuke are 165 yen (tax excluded).

Seaweed Ochazuke

Next, I will introduce the seaweed ochazuke!

Similar to the dashi chazuke, you would sprinkle the ochazuke mix on top of rice and add in hot water.

The scent of tea is quite strong.
Because there aren’t any soup stock flavors to this one, you can really taste the saltiness of the seaweed.
It has a lighter, refreshing taste than the dashi chazuke.
This may be nice as a finishing dish after a few drinks.
The seaweed ochazuke comes in a pack of 8 for 178 yen (tax excluded).

Salmon Chazuke

Next, I will introduce the salmon chazuke!

Same with this salmon chazuke, you would sprinkle the ochazuke mix on top of rice and add in hot water.

There are dried salmon inside.
I can smell the salmon before I even pour in the water.
You can really smell the salmon and the seaweed after adding in the hot water.
Because the salmon bits return to its original size after leaving them in the water, both the texture and taste feel like freshly cooked salmon.
The saltiness is just right too.
The salmon chazuke comes in a pack of 6 for 178 yen (tax excluded).

Umeboshi Chazuke

Lastly, I will introduce the umeboshi (pickled plum) chazuke.

You would prepare the umeboshi chazuke in the same manner.

The scent of pickled plum is very strong in the beginning.
However, the scent becomes fainter after you add in the water.
It is not as salty, and it does not taste overpowering either.
The sourness of the pickled plums adds a nice accent to the flavors.
The umeboshi chazuke comes in a pack of 6 for 178 yen (tax excluded).
And those were the introductions to the ochazuke!
You can purchase ochazuke at supermarkets in Japan.
If you get the ochazuke mix and microwavable rice, you can conveniently eat ochazuke at your hotel during your travels.
Because ochazuke are so convenient, I eat hiyashi ochazuke for breakfast in the hot, summer morning.
I think that it is also fun to add your own topping too!
（Nagatanien HP：http://www.nagatanien.co.jp/brand/ochaduke/）
Written by yui