A quick Japanese meal with simple ingredients as rice, pickle and tea, this dandelion ochazuke is so refreshing for summer!
Is anybody binge-watching the Japanese drama Midnight Diner in Netflix like I do? If you love Asian food and stories about all walks of life, then you MUST watch the show!! It is a perfect balance of drama, humanity, love and Japanese food culture!
At the end of most episodes is a brief intro on how to make a featured Japanese dish, including this ochazuke! It is basically rice with any savory toppings you can find, then soaked in green tea. Simple right? Therefore, here is my little caffeine-free twist of the recipe, using sushi rice vinegar quick pickled onions with dandelion herbal tea for its subtly bitter flavor!
What does dandelion ochazuke taste like?
Dandelion tea has a sweet and subtly bitter flavor. Therefore, this earthy liquid base provides a balance with the stronger tasting rice toppings like pickled onions. Moreover, by quick pickling red onions in sushi vinegar, the onions pick up a tangy, sweet and savory taste. This is definitely match made in heaven with the sushi rice base.
Being a dish with quite a bit of liquid, this dish is so light, easy to digest and great for summer or any days that you are feeling suppressed appetite.
How do you eat ochazuke?
Assembling an ochazuke is amazingly quick and easy! Simply prepare a bowl of rice, add your savory topping, then pour in the tea.
![dandelion ochazuke before pouring in the tea](https://www.belatedbrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DryOchazuke_wp-225x300.jpg)
What are the toppings options for dandelion ochazuke?
- pickled vegetables or fruits
- nori/ seaweed
- salmon
- fish role
- anything you can imagine!
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Dandelion ochazuke
Ingredients
- 1 cup Uncooked sushi rice
- 1/4 Red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Sushi vinegar
- 2 Asparagus spears
- 1 cup Dandelion tea
Instructions
- Cook rice on stove top, rice cooker or instant pot
- In a medium container or bowl, add thinly sliced onion and just enough sushi vinegar to cover
- As the rice almost finishes cooking, place in the asparagus over the rice and close the lid again
- Place cooked rice in serving bowl. Arrange steamed asparagus and quick pickled red onion slices over rice
- Pour hot or cold dandelion tea over rice and serve!
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Wow!!! I love how simple and flavorful this looks, and so healthy too! Definitely going to have to try this one.
I love how simple this dandelion ochuzuke recipe is! The dandelion tea adds nice flavor and it was a pleasure to make!
Now this something new to me. I am always fascinated with Japanese recipes. This is something I need to try. Thanks for sharing.
I have to give this a try asap! I love Japanese dishes and I think that this would pair well with some sushi.
This recipe looks so simple and doable! Definitely something that I will be introducing to my family!