Ozoni (Japanese New Year’s Soup)

Traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day, ozoni is a Japanese soup made with mochi, vegetables, and fish cakes. It’s classically available in two styles: Kanto, which calls for a dashi-based soup, and Kansai, a miso-based preparation. For his Kanto-style recipe, 2000 F&W Best New Chef Takashi Yagihashi recalled his childhood in Mito, Japan, and how his parents worked together to make teh broth and grill the mochi that goes on top. Yagihashi’s broth gets its sweet notes from mirin balanced with salty notes from kombu in the dashi broth. Cooking the chicken and vegetables in water, rather than the broth, helps to keep the broth clear. The vegetables are cut on an angle to increase the surface area for the vegetables to cook faster. A garnish of citrus peel added just before serving, lifts and brightens the soup’s delicate aroma.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is kombu?

Kombu, also known as konbu, is an edible sea kelp used primarily to flavor dashi, a stock that’s fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Kombu is harvested from underwater forests and processed by cutting and drying the leaves, which contain a large amount of glutamates, vitamins, and minerals.

What is mochi?

Mochi refers to a type of Japanese cake made with short-grain rice, called mochigome, that’s been steamed, pounded into a paste and formed into various shapes. Traditionally eaten during the new year, mochi cakes are available in a variety of flavors, from strawberry to green tea, throughout the year.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

To increase the surface area of the cut vegetables, try an oblique cut: Place the vegetable horizontally on a cutting board. Slice the vegetable on the diagonal; roll the vegetable by a quarter turn toward you, and slice on the diagonal again. Repeat until the entire vegetable is cut.

Kirimochi is a type of plain, unflavored mochi that’s often used in savory preparations. Shelf-stable packages of individually wrapped kirimochi cakes are available at Asian supermarkets and online at amazon.com.

Leftover kirimochi can be stored in the packaging in a cool, dark place for up to several months. The mochi can be grilled or toasted until soft in a toaster oven or under the broiler and served with seasoned nori, soy sauce, and butter for a delicious snack.

Make ahead

You can make the dashi and the zoni broth up to two days ahead. You can simmer the chicken in the zoni broth two days ahead, and then add the vegetables and simmer them until tender when you are ready to eat. The fresh vegetables will make the soup taste fresh and clean.
Leftovers can be refrigerated (without the mochi) up to two days.