One of my favourite dishes, possibly of all time, is Ochazuke. It’s a simple Japanese dish that’s made by pouring green tea, dashi, over cooked rice.
I absolutely adore Ochazuke. It’s my comfort food. I can have it every day. Okay, maybe not every day, but almost every day.
What makes my version of Ochazuke, unique, is my interpretation, or preparation, of it. I enjoy preparing the dashi with katsuobushi (bonito flakes), soy sauce, sake, mirin. I love to add garnishing like spring onion (lots and lots of ‘em), umeboshi (a type of pickled plum), and I usually have it with white fish, Shirasu or salmon. Last but not least, I top it up with my “secret ingredient” — yuzu kosho. Yuzu kosho is a condiment that’s made from fresh chiles and fermented with salt.
Ironically, I didn’t get to taste yuzu kosho in Japan, instead, I fell in love with yuzu kosho when traveling in Melbourne, Australia, where I first had it in a cafe called CIBI – a simple Japanese-inspired cafe. The Ochazuke came with a grilled salmon fillet, and when paired with the umami dashi, it just tasted heavenly.
Just writing this entry makes me crave for ochazuke. I think I just might make it tonight again. Time to go shop for ingredients.
Now that you know my favourite comfort food, what’s yours?