Genmaicha isn't only a tea to drink.
Because it is made of rice and tea,
it can go anywhere on the table.
Genmaicha — to drink, and to cook with.
First, How to Brew
| Leaves | 4–5 g (for two) |
| Water | approx. 200 ml — properly hot is fine |
| Steeping | approx. 30 seconds, kept short |
There's no need to cool the water as you would for sencha. With genmaicha, fragrance leads. Brewed briefly at a high temperature, the toastiness of the rice comes forward at its best.
* Left too long, too much comes out of the rice and the flavour turns cloudy. Short is the rule.
Beyond Drinking
The strength of genmaicha is that its flavour doesn't assert itself too much. Which means it won't compete with your ingredients when you cook with it. Sencha or matcha can't do this.
Ochazuke
Top a bowl of rice with grilled salmon, umeboshi and shredded nori, then pour hot genmaicha over it. The toastiness of the rice stands in for dashi.
Brew it a little stronger — it needs to hold its own against the rice and toppings. A pinch of salt draws the flavour together.
Rice cooked in genmaicha
After rinsing the rice, cook it in cooled strong genmaicha instead of water. The aroma runs through the whole pot, and it stays good once cooled.
A little salt and a splash of sake round it out further.
As a marinade for teriyaki
Marinate chicken or fish for about 30 minutes in strong genmaicha with soy sauce and mirin, then grill. The compounds in the tea soften any strong odour, and the toastiness stays.
Iced
Genmaicha keeps its aroma even over ice — which is the point. Brew it strong and pour over ice. Good in place of barley tea, alongside a meal.
Cold brewing works, but the toastiness of the rice comes through better with heat. Brewing hot and chilling quickly is the better route.
HOMIYABI
MIOKA's genmaicha, HOMIYABI, blends organically grown leaves from Wazuka, Kyoto with organic Japanese brown rice.
Both the tea and the rice are things you put in your mouth, so we take it as given that both should be organic. All the more so if you're cooking with it.
More on genmaicha itself: #T005｜What is Genmaicha. Looking for a teapot? Kyusu (HISHIMA)・Kyusu (KOKUGEN).
Where rice and tea overlap,
there is the richness of an ordinary day.
Fragrance Beyond Time and Borders.
