I first came across ochazuke, green tea over rice, during my travels in Japan. The jet lag between New York and Tokyo is brutal. It is literally day for night. In the morning when you have to get up, your body is ready to sleep. When I am tired, I like to eat poached chicken or chicken broth with rice. One exhausted night, I found ochazuke in the Japanese comfort food section of the room service menu. The idea of rice with green tea was totally appealing so I tried it. It’s been a standby ever since, and kept me nourished through some of my worst periods of post-chemo fatigue. You can add whatever condiments you like, so what we’ve used below are just suggestions. See what suits you best.
Preparation
1. Divide rice, spinach, sesame seeds and scallions evenly between two bowls. Add a teaspoon of miso paste into each, if using.
2. Pour hot green tea evenly over each bowl. Top with seaweed. Eat hot.
For more comforting international dishes, check out our Healing Foods of the World Slideshow.
Ann’s Tips and Tricks
You can substitute cooked white rice if you are on a bland diet. Instead of toasted sesame seeds which might irritate, try using a little gomashio, (sesame salt). You can buy it in the macrobiotic sections of most health food stores. It’s quite delicious.
Nori is the crisp dark green sheets of seaweed used to wrap around sushi. It is great used as a condiment shredded or crumbled over soups or over rice, as here. You can find it in the Asian or international food section in most markets.
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