Recommended for those who follow a vegetarian/vegan diet or for someone who is ill:
Ingredients for 3-4 people
Rice 150g/180ml (roughly rinsed)
Water 540-720cc
Bagged Houjicha 12g
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Once boiled put Hojicha in, simmer it for a few minutes until the tea colour comes out.
- Then take out the tea bag and add the rice.
- Let it simmer for approx. 10 min. Be careful not to burn the bottom.
- Turn off the heat and put on a lid. Steam for a few minutes.
- Done (also nice to add Tea Tsukudani as a topping).
It is a long lasting tradition in Wazuka that neighbours are helping one another in arranging their family events. This Chagayu, or Tea Porridge, has been served as a board for those who have been helping at the events. The ladies who married and therefore moved into this town learnt this recipe from senior ladies coming from this area.
For a long time people in the town have been calling this tea porridge “Kenzui”. Tea farmers start working in their tea fields very early in the morning in order to finish all the tasks from harvesting to processing in factory within the same day. As working in the steep countryside is very tiring, farmers get hungry quickly. This porridge is served to them during brunch time around 10:00.
Houjicha, that is used in this porridge is known for its mild taste and does not contain a lot of caffeine compared to other Japanese green tea, as most of the caffeine vanishes during the roasting process. So Houjicha is suitable for infants and elderly people. This also the reason why you may see brown-coloured tea more often than green in hospitals or nursing homes in Japan.
