Ochazuke — Tea-Poured Rice with Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

• 3 cups hot cooked short-grain rice
• 6 oz Grilled Salmon, flaked or sliced
• 2 cups brewed sencha green tea or dashi
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp umeboshi, pitted and torn
• 1 sheet nori, cut into thin strips
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp wasabi
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• 1 tbsp bubu arare (rice crackers), optional

Method

1. Brew the tea at around 175°F (80°C) rather than boiling — scalded green tea goes bitter and the whole bowl follows it down. Season with the soy sauce and salt.
2. Divide the hot rice between two deep bowls, mounding it slightly.
3. Arrange the Grilled Salmon on top with the umeboshi, wasabi, and sesame seeds.
4. Pour the hot tea around the edge of the bowl until the rice is two-thirds submerged.
5. Scatter nori, scallions, and rice crackers over and eat right away, with a spoon, before the crackers give up their crunch.