Green Tea Furikake
Not long ago, I was given a pouch of tea that was labeled as “gyokuro”. I was excited to try it because I’ve had delicious gyokuro in the past and it’s one of my favorite teas. Unfortunately, this particular one turned out to be a disappointment. It wasn’t bad but it tasted more like regular sencha… Was I dealing with a case of bad tea storage? Was it a mislabeling case? Anyway, my expectations hadn’t been met.
I’ve decided to give this tea a chance by using it in a tea recipe. I always complain I experiment too little with Asian recipes, so I killed two birds with one stone (mind you, only figuratively!). I picked a recipe for a popular Japanese seasoning, furikake, and tweaked it to incorporate tea leaves. The result? Umami deliciousness. It’s really addictive, you guys! I used it as a topping for some steamed rice with pumpkin (because, fall lunch rice bowl). It’s super easy to make and the best part was the visit to the Japanese grocery store, which is always full of surprises!
Green Tea Furikake
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sesame seeds (I used black sesame seeds)
2 sheets roasted nori
1-2 tablespoons sencha green tea leaves
A handful bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
1 tablespoon tiny dried shrimp (I used frozen dried krill)
1 teaspoon sea salt
In a mortar and pestle reduce the sencha tea leaves to powder. Set aside. In a pan over high heat toast the sesame seeds, constantly shaking the pan, until they smell toasty. Transfer to a bowl so they don’t burn. Let cool. Crumble the nori sheets into the bowl with the sesame seeds. Add the bonito flakes. You can crumble them, if you wish (I didn’t). Add the tiny dried shrimp and powdered sencha leaves. Season the mixture with salt and mix thoroughly. Transfer to an airtight container.
I sprinkled my green tea furikake generously on rice, which I had seasoned with extra virgin olive oil. I served it alongside steamed pumpkin. Enjoy!
Let me know if you try it!
I found inspiration for my recipe here.
