Cumin Chameshi Tea Rice Pairs Perfectly with Beef, Vegetables; Dish Accentuated with Toasted Cumin Seeds, Red Peppers

By Tomoyo Yamada / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, January 26, 2025

Chameshi, which means tea rice, refers to rice cooked in fragrant Japanese tea, such as sencha and hojicha. However, Yumiko Kozumi, who owns a restaurant that offers dishes using various spices, recommends a recipe that uses cumin tea. Cumin chameshi has a slightly spicy flavor of cumin that pairs perfectly with sweet and salty beef.

The tea is made by toasting cumin seeds and then boiling them in hot water. This dish becomes complete with braised beef.

Cumin is said to help with digestion and remove the odor of meat, so it is often used in spicy dishes. Many recipes use cumin seeds as they are, so that their flavor and taste can be enjoyed. For cumin chameshi, the seeds are boiled so their extract can be used in the dish.

“Cumin tea tastes like hojicha,” Kozumi said. “So, I think you won’t find it strange being used in savory tea rice.”

In India, there is also a tea made with toasted cumin seeds.

Cumin seeds should be toasted over medium-low heat until they make crackling noises.

“If the seeds start smoking, turn the heat to low,” Kozumi said.

Put the toasted cumin seeds in a pan with water. Once the water boils, lower the heat to simmer the seeds until the tea becomes dark brown like mugicha barley tea. This will make the cooked rice richly fragrant with the aroma of cumin.

“Stir fry the lotus root and beef together so that there’s a variety of textures,” Kozumi said.

The beef and diced lotus root pieces should be simmered in a sweet and salty sauce until there is barely any liquid left. Add the meat and vegetable to the rice after it is cooked. The rice should be cooked only in cumin tea to make its flavor stand out.

The aromatic cumin tea rice contrasts nicely with the juiciness of the beef. The spicy red peppers and shredded fresh ginger will help the dish become even more delicious.

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Cumin tea

When there is more cumin tea than needed for the rice, serve it as a drink to go with the dinner.

Thoroughly toasted cumin seeds make an aromatic tea.

“When you toast cumin seeds, you may find them a little bit burned. But don’t worry because you won’t notice it much once they are made into tea,” Kozumi said.

Add cane sugar or brown sugar to the tea if you like, and it will be even easier to drink.

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Cumin chameshi

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 cups rice (1 cup = 180 milliliters)
• 200 grams of beef (precut cubes for stew)
• 4 grams grated garlic
• 30 grams lotus root
• 40 grams negi green onion whites (coarsely chopped)
• Thinly sliced konegi green onion to taste
• Julienned negi green onion whites to taste
• Julienned ginger to taste
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• A small amount of coarsely ground black pepper
• A small amount of red pepper
• 2 tbsp cane sugar



Directions:

1. Rinse the rice and put in a colander to drain.

2. Put the cumin seeds in a frying pan. Toast them over medium-low heat before adding them to a pot filled with 700 milliliters of water. When the water begins to boil, turn the heat to low and brew for about five minutes.

3. Turn off the heat. Strain the cumin tea and let cool.

4. Put the rice in a rice cooker, pour in cumin tea up to the point marked for 2 cups of rice, and cook.

5. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of salt, black pepper and red pepper on beef diced into 2-centimeter pieces. Mix in grated garlic.

6. Heat 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a slightly deep pan. Stir fry the beef and lotus root cut in 1-centimeter pieces in the oil.

7. When the beef begins to brown, add 100 milliliters of water, 20 milliliters of soy sauce and cane sugar. Reduce to a simmer until there is a little water left, then add chopped negi green onion before reducing further.

8. Add the braised beef mixture and thinly sliced konegi green onions to the cumin tea rice and mix well. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with julienned negi green onion whites and ginger on top.