Ochazuke (お茶漬け, tea over rice)

Real ochazuke begins with cooked rice, which is why it feels almost suspiciously easy. You set rice in a bowl, lay something salty on top, and pour over hot tea or a light dashi. The topping is the seasoning. Miss that and the bowl tastes like wet rice, a phrase no cookbook puts on the cover for good reason.

The honmono version isn't elaborate. It is exact. Use enough liquid to loosen the grains, not drown them, and make the pour hot enough to wake the rice. If you choose sencha, brew it gently so it stays green and clean rather than bitter. If you choose dashi, keep it clear and light: konbu out before the boil, katsuobushi steeped off the heat, no squeezing. The rice should taste warmed through, salted by salmon or umeboshi, and carried by the liquid rather than lost in it.

This is breakfast, a late-night bowl, or the small rescue at the end of a long day. In the method, not the menu, it sits close to the heart of washoku: rice, a clear pour, a topping at its prime, and nothing hidden. Choose glistening flakes of salted salmon, a sharp red umeboshi, or good nori toasted crisp, then leave it room. Ninety seconds is enough when the rice is hot and the toppings are ready.