Ozoni – mochi soup –

Posted May 29th, 2011 in Food 2 Comments »

Ozoni, or mochi soup, is a Japanese holiday meal traditionally prepared on New Year’s Day.  The type of ozoni is different in different area in Japan – some area use round mochi while other use square mochi, some people bake mochi before adding to the soup while other people simply soften the mochi in hot water, and the soup is just seasoned with soy sauce and salt in some area while some people in different area add miso to the soup.

In my house, we normally add miso to the soup.  The mochi is sometimes baked before adding to the soup, but not always.  I’m not sure adding miso to the ozoni is Shiga thing, but I remember eating ozoni in miso soup at my brother’s karate party when we were kids. The party was at Biwa Lake bank in winter, after kangeiko (mid-winter training).  All kids in karate uniform went inside the lake and do some work-out in the freezing water.  Watching it made me wonder how they could survive in the water in such a cold day.  Karate uniform is not water proof!  After a hour of training, we all ate ozoni near the fire.  It was so delicious!

I  used mochi I bought from an Asian grocery shop.  This mochi is cut into portions and individually wrapped.

You can add any ingredients to the soup – more you add it develops more flavour.  This time I only used simple ingredients : burdock roots, carrots and spring onions.  I didn’t bother baking mochi, but it will give delicious nutty flavour if you do.

<ozoni> serves 4

• 4 mochi cakes
• 1 cup frozen burdock roots, shredded
• 1/2 carrot, jullienne
• 2 tbs chopped spring onions
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp dashi stock powder
• 2.5 ~ 3 tbs miso paste
• 1 tbs mirin
• 1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds

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1. Place water into a pot, and bring to the boil.  Add dashi stock to dissolve.
2. Add burdock roots and carrot to the pot.  Simmer for 3 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, and add miso paste.  Mix well.  Add spring onions.
4. Turn on the heat to low, and gently simmer for another few minutes.  Add mirin, and then turn off the heat.
5. Add  mochi to the soup to warm up, or bake in an oven toaster.
6. Place one mochi in a serving bowl, and pour the soup.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

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