Match of the week

Sushi and Genmaicha (Japanese green tea with roasted rice)

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on February 6 2007 at 08:36

To the incomprehension of my husband who can’t see the point in raw fish, I adore sushi and try to eat it at least once a week - usually with one of my daughters who are both big sushi fans.

Normally I accompany it with green tea but I’ve just discovered this totally addictive organic roasted rice tea called Genmaicha made by Clearspring which matches even better - the faint sesame nuttiness of the rice offsetting the slight fattiness of the fish and the delicate sweetness of the rice.

It needs to be served cooler than we typically drink tea in Britain but don’t let it steep or you’ll lose its delicate flavours. I make it double the strength and then take out the teabags after a minute and let the tea cool for about 10 minutes.

Another good pairing, which I enjoyed at the weekend with daughter no. 2, is a crisp Japanese lager such as Kirin which also pairs brilliantly with tempura. Beer and batter being great bedfellows.

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