How to Make Japanese Ozouni: New Ways and Simple Steps

Photo: Just One Cookbook

It is certainly a hearty and filling soup to get through the cold Japanese weather on New Year’s days.

How to make Japanese Ozouni for New Year's days

Given that there are many types of Ozouni all over Japan, but there are two most popular recipes, they are Ozouni Kanto style and Kansai style.

Kansai's Ozouni Recipe ( by Umami Insider)

Ingredients

2 Taro

½ tsp Dashi Powder, for taro

2 cup Water, for taro

1 inch Daikon Radish

1 inch Carrot

½ tsp Dashi Powder, for daikon and carrot

2 cup Water, for daikon and carrot

2 Round Mochi

Soup

2 cup Water

½ tsp Dashi Powder

2 Tbsp White Miso/ Saikyo White Miso

2 Yuzu Skin (optional)

Instructions

Preparation

1. Peel the taro potatoes and cut in half if they’re too big. Rub in a little bit of salt to remove the slimy-texture.

2. Add ½ tsp of dashi powder in 2 cups of water, and boil the taro until soft. Drain.

3. Slice the daikon radish and carrots into about 5 mm (0.2 inch) . Cut out into flower shape using vegetable cutter.

4. Add ½ tsp of dashi powder in 2 cups of water, and boil the daikon radish until soft. Take them out.

5. In the same pot, add carrots and boil until soft. Drain.

6. In a separate pot, boil water and cook the round mochi until soft. Drain.

Make Soup

1. Add 2 cups of water in a pot and let it boil.

2. Reduce the heat to low and add dashi powder and white miso. Make sure not to bring it to boil.

Serve: In a bowl, add one round mochi, one taro, one or two slices each of daikon radish and carrots, and slowly pour the soup over them. Top with yuzu skin.

Kansai's Ozouni with boiled mochi and white miso. Photo: Okonom Kitchen

Kanto's Ozouni Recipe

Ingredients

1 inch Daikon Radish, 1-inch thick

1 inch Carrot, 1-inch thick

½ tsp Dashi Powder, for daikon and carrot

2 cup Water, for daikon and carrot

¼ lb Boneless Chicken Thigh

10 leaves Spinach

A pinch of Salt

2 Rectangular Mochi

2 slice Kamaboko, ¼ inch thick (optional)

4 Mitsuba, chopped (optional)

Yuzu Skin (optional)

Soup

2 cup Water

1 tsp Soy Sauce (Usukuchi)

½ tsp Dashi Powder

½ tsp Salt

Instructions

Preparation

1. Peel and cut the daikon and carrots into 1.5 inch lengths rectangles.

2. In a small pot, add ½ tsp of dashi powder in 2 cups of water. Cook daikon until soft and take them out. Add Carrots in the same pot and cook until soft, drain.

3. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle some salt. Boil water and cook for about 1 minute and drain (Will finish cooking later so it’s okay if chicken isn’t done).

4. In another pot, boil water and add a pinch of salt. Cook spinach and drain.

5. Place mochi on a frying pan and cook over medium heat. Once one side is browned, flip and cook the other side.

Toasted mochi for Kanto's Ozouni. Photo: Chopstick Chronicles

Soup

1. Add 2 cups water into a pot and boil.

2. Add salt, soy sauce, and dashi to the water.

3. Reduce heat to low and add the chicken. Make sure not to boil.

Serve

1. In a bowl, place one mochi, 2-3 sticks each of daikon and carrots, one slice of kamaboko, a bit of spinach, a bit of mitsuba, and yuzu skin.

2. Add chicken on top and slowly pour in the soup.

The meaning of Japanese Ozouni

Zouni (雑煮) often referred to as Ozouni(with the honorific “o”) is a Japanese New Year soup containing mochi(rice cakes) and is often associated with the tradition of osechi ceremonial foods.

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