Ochazuke is Steamed Rice with hot tea poured over and some added toppings. It is not really a formal meal, but Ochazuke is often eaten when you don’t have time or don’t want to cook. Dashi Chazuke is using seasoned Dashi instead of merely tea, so there is a tiny bit more cooking involved to make Dashi broth.
Dashi for Dashi Chazuke could be Katsuo (bonito) Dashi or Kombu (sea kelp) Dashi, it’s just up to your preference. Then the broth is seasoned mildly since there will be some salty topping eaten together. Toppings can be fish or fish roe, Kombu Tsukudani, Tsukemono, or even meat like Beef Shigureni. What we used here is Aji Himono, semi-dried (and salted) mackerel, and Umeboshi, pickled sour plum, but change however you like to your taste and what you have available. By eating rice, Dashi, and topping all together, it becomes almost like a soup or very light risotto in your mouth. Don’t underestimate this dish in terms of flavor, just because it is super easy to make. Dashi Chazuke is pretty tasty from the combination of Umami flavors of Dashi and various toppings which may, hopefully, already be in your fridge.
Dashi Chazuke is a very good light meal or snack, and it is quite satisfying for what it is. Try this next time when you don’t have time to cook!
Dashi Chazuke Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 semi-dried Aji Himono mackerel
- 1 green onion
- 1 1/2-2 cups Steamed Rice
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 Umeboshi pickled sour plum
- Nori roasted dried seaweed torn into small pieces
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Grill mackerel a few minutes on each side until cooked through. Break apart into small pieces.
- Slice green onion very thinly.
- Put Dashi with Soy Sauce, Sake, Mirin and salt in a pot. Cook to a boil, then let soup simmer at low heat.
- Put 1/2 of the rice in a bowl, topped with grilled mackerel, sliced green onion, and ginger. Put the other half of rice in another bowl, topped with Umeboshi plum, Nori, and sesame seeds. Then pour soup over both bowls. Serve immediately.
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