Ozoni New Year Mochi Soup Regional Variations Miso Clear

Ingredients

• For the Kanto clear dashi ozoni
• 1 litre dashi, prepared from kombu and katsuobushi
• 4 kaku-mochi (square kiri-mochi), grilled or toasted until golden and puffed before serving
• 200 g chicken, thinly sliced
• 100 g spinach, blanched and cut into short lengths
• 4 slices naruto fish cake, sliced to show the spiral
• 1 tsp salt, adjust to a gentle seasoning only
• For the Kansai white miso ozoni (Kyoto variation)
• 1 litre dashi, prepared from kombu and katsuobushi
• 4 maru-mochi (round mochi), boiled directly in the soup
• 100 g shiro miso (white miso), dissolved into warm dashi without boiling
• 100 g dried miso-soup taro, rehydrated and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 kintoki carrot, peeled and sliced on the bias
• 50 g seri (Japanese parsley/watercress), cut into short lengths

Method

1. 1
   KANTO STYLE — Grill or toast each square kaku-mochi piece over a flame or under a grill, turning once, until the surface is golden and the interior has puffed visibly. Do not boil the mochi at this stage. The mochi is ready when the exterior shows light golden colour and the piece has swelled noticeably.
2. 2
   Bring the dashi to a gentle simmer. Add the sliced chicken and poach until just cooked through, skimming the surface of any foam. Season with salt — the broth should taste of pure dashi with only gentle salinity, never assertive. The broth is ready when it remains clear and the chicken is opaque throughout.
3. 3
   Add the blanched spinach and the naruto fish cake slices to the simmering broth for the last minute of cooking, long enough to warm through without losing colour. The spinach should remain bright green.
4. 4
   Place one grilled kaku-mochi piece in each warmed bowl. Ladle the hot clear broth, chicken, spinach, and naruto over the mochi and serve immediately. The mochi will begin to soften and thicken the surrounding broth; those who prefer clear broth may be served before the mochi has fully absorbed. The dish is complete when the mochi is elastic and yielding at its centre.
5. 5
   KANSAI STYLE (Kyoto) — Bring the dashi to a gentle heat. Add the taro and kintoki carrot and cook until just tender. Add the round maru-mochi directly to the simmering soup and cook until they have softened and become elastic. Remove the pot from direct heat before the next step.
6. 6
   Dissolve the shiro miso into the warm dashi by pressing it through a fine sieve or whisking it into a ladleful of broth before returning it to the pot. The soup must not boil after the miso is added. The broth is ready when the miso is fully dissolved and the colour is uniformly pale gold and gently sweet on the nose.
7. 7
   Ladle the Kansai ozoni into warmed bowls, distributing the mochi, taro, and kintoki carrot evenly. Finish with seri and serve at once. The dish is complete when the mochi is soft but still distinctly elastic.