Yaki Onigiri Chazuke Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101

Yaki Onigiri Chazuke (焼きおにぎり茶漬け), begins with Onigiri rice balls which can be calmly grilled and brushed with soy sauce till aromatic and crisp on the skin, then served in a bowl and gently immersed in savory dashi broth. It’s neither a typical onigiri nor a traditional Ochazuke—the place rice is topped and completed with tea or broth—however relatively a scrumptious cross between the 2. The smoky, caramelized aroma from the soy-grilled rice is extremely appetizing, whereas the nice and cozy, umami-rich broth makes the dish deeply comforting and surprisingly satisfying.

What’s Yaki Onigiri and Ochazuke?

Yaki Onigiri is a dish by itself, made by grilling Onigiri rice balls over an open fireplace—typically charcoal—and brushing them with soy sauce till they’re properly browned. The skin turns into crisp and fragrant, whereas the within stays tender, fluffy, and scorching. Yaki Onigiri is a well-liked merchandise at Robata-yaki barbecue eating places and Izakaya meals bars.

Historically, Yaki Onigiri is usually made with out a filling because the soy sauce on the skin gives loads of taste, however that’s not all the time the case. Similar to common onigiri, it may also be full of classics corresponding to salty Salmon Flakes, Umeboshi (pickled plum), or Kombu Tsukudani (sweet-and-salty simmered seaweed).

Ochazuke can be a rice dish, nevertheless it sits on a really totally different a part of the spectrum. Steamed rice is served in a bowl and completed with scorching inexperienced tea or calmly seasoned dashi, together with easy, savory toppings. It’s meant to be a lightweight snack or a fast however comforting meal once you don’t have a lot time. In a typical Japanese pantry or fridge, you’ll typically discover Tsukemono (pickled greens), Umeboshi, or different salty condiments—good companions for rice with tea or broth.

Why Yaki Onigiri Chazuke?

Yaki Onigiri Chazuke is just an upgraded model of ochazuke—however with a bit of further effort and much more character. Grilling the onigiri provides depth of taste and a fantastically crisp exterior, making the dish really feel particular and nicely introduced, good sufficient to serve for dinner to household and buddies.

It’s nonetheless straightforward to make as a meal, and it turns into much more handy should you put together and freeze the Yaki Onigiri forward of time. As soon as that’s performed, the remainder of the steps come collectively rapidly. Better of all, the topping choices are limitless, permitting you to customise the dish to fit your style or no matter you’ve gotten readily available.

Substitutions and variations for Yaki Onigiri Chazuke

• Historically, Yaki Onigiri is flavored with soy sauce, however should you’d like to vary issues up, attempt calmly brushing the floor with miso paste as a substitute. Watch out to not burn it—miso browns rapidly—however when grilled excellent, the aroma and taste are unimaginable.
• In case you favor a good less complicated model, use scorching inexperienced tea as a substitute of dashi broth. With a salty topping like Umeboshi, there’s no have to season the tea in any respect.
• Topping choices are really limitless. Basic decisions like salted salmon and tsukemono (Japanese pickles) work fantastically, however don’t hesitate to attempt one thing much less conventional, corresponding to beef or pork Shigureni. These richly flavored meats pair particularly nicely with the grilled rice and broth.

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