Nara Chameshi (Hojicha Rice with Soybeans)

Quick answer

Total time: 100 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 5

About this dish

Nara chameshi is a regional rice dish from Nara, cooked with dry-roasted soybeans and cooled hojicha instead of plain water.

An early form called gecha appears beside tea porridge in the meals of monks taking part in Todaiji Temple's Omizutori, a March observance with more than twelve centuries of history. Travelers later carried tea rice from Nara to Edo, where shops near Sensoji helped make it widely recognized. Gently roasting the soybeans until their skins crack, soaking and rubbing them clean, and resting washed rice in the tea for 30 minutes produces tender grains with a quiet roasted aroma and nutty beans.

Ingredients (4 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
Japanese short-grain rice	2	rice-cups
dried soybeans	40	g
hojicha tea leaves	4	g
water	600	ml
salt	4	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Finish

Reserve 100ml of the 600ml water for the soybeans.

Bring the remaining 500ml to a boil, add 4g hojicha leaves, simmer on low for 2 minutes, turn off the heat, and steep for 3 minutes. Fine-strain and cool completely to room temperature.
2

Finish

Place 40g dried soybeans in a dry pan and roast slowly over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes.

As soon as some skins crack and the beans smell nutty, transfer them into the reserved 100ml water and soak for 5 minutes.
3

Step

Rub the soaked soybeans gently between both palms to loosen the cracked skins.

Skim off the floating skins, then drain the beans thoroughly in a sieve.
4

Heat

Rinse 2 rice-cups rice until the water is nearly clear and drain in a sieve for 10 minutes.

Put it in a rice cooker, add the completely cooled hojicha to the 2-cup line, and let the rice soak for 30 minutes.
5

Finish

Scatter the peeled soybeans and 4g salt evenly over the soaked rice without stirring.

Cook on the regular white-rice setting, then keep the lid closed and rest for 10 minutes after the cycle finishes.
6

Finish

Insert the paddle down to the bottom and turn the rice over four to six times to distribute the beans and release steam.

Serve warm. If not holding it hot, spread leftovers in a shallow container, cool, and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Rice cooked in brewed hojicha for roasted aroma
Finish cue: Insert the paddle down to the bottom and turn the rice over four to six times to distribute the beans and release steam.
Substitution: Nara chameshi is a regional rice dish from Nara, cooked with dry-roasted soybeans and cooled hojicha instead of plain water.
Storage and reheating: Fine-strain and cool completely to room temperature.