I decided to make homemade ‘genmaicha’ (green tea with roasted rice) by pan-frying brown rice and adding it to the tea. ‘Genmai’ means unpolished rice and ‘cha’ means tea. You can match the tea of your choice and enjoy the nice roasted aroma as its being made.
:: How to roast brown rice ::
Brown rice (or white rice) As much you like
(I used 4 tablespoons of brown rice in the photos below)
1. Lightly wash and strain the brown rice using a strainer or a colander.
2. Put the brown rice into a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium and pan-fry it without oil until it turns golden brown for 10-15 minutes.
:: How to brew genmaicha ::
Tea of your choice 1 teaspoon
(Usually sencha or bancha)
Roasted brown rice 1 teaspoon
Amount of hot water 120ml
Temperature of hot water Boiling water
Steeping time 30 seconds
To enjoy the nice roasted aroma use boiling water. Usually the amount of tea and rice are the same but you can change the ratio according to your preference.
I highly recommend making genmaicha at home when you want to relax! Firstly, because the amount of tea is smaller it has less caffeine which has a stimulant effect. Brown rice is rich in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. It also has GABA that has a relaxing effect. Lastly, the fragrance component called pyrazine has a roasted flavor which also relaxes you.
By the way, for commercially available genmaicha, white rice which is usually steamed and roasted is often used instead of brown rice. You can use white rice at home too, but it looks very deferent from the commercially available one because the making processes are deferent.
If you want the nutrients found in brown rice and want to feel relaxed by the the roasted aroma why don’t you make it by yourself and see what you think? Enjoy! 😊
