Zoni New Year Mochi Soup Regional Variations

Ingredients

• For the Tokyo-style (ichiban dashi base)
• 1 litre water
• 15 g kombu, wiped clean
• 20 g katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), added off the boil, strained
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (usukuchi)
• 1 tsp salt, to season; adjust to taste
• 4 pieces rectangular mochi (kakumochi), one piece per portion
• 8 slices kamaboko (fish cake), sliced 5 mm thick
• 12 sprigs mitsuba (Japanese parsley), stems and leaves, roughly gathered
• 4 pieces carrot, cut into flower shapes
• For the Kyoto-style (white miso base)
• 1 litre water
• 15 g kombu, wiped clean, for dashi base
• 120 g shiro miso (white miso), adjust for saltiness — white miso is already heavily seasoned
• 4 whole shrimp, head-on, cooked in the miso broth
• 4 pieces round mochi (marumochi), one piece per portion; pre-cooked separately
• 4 g katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), as garnish

Method

1. 1
   TOKYO STYLE — Step 1. Combine water and kombu in a saucepan and bring slowly to just below a simmer. Remove kombu before the water boils. Add katsuobushi off the boil; steep two minutes without stirring, then strain. The finished ichiban dashi should be pale gold and clean on the palate, with no bitterness.
2. 2
   TOKYO STYLE — Step 2. Season the strained dashi with light soy sauce and salt. Bring to a serving temperature. The broth should taste delicate and clean — the soy adds colour and depth without asserting itself.
3. 3
   TOKYO STYLE — Step 3. Grill or toast the rectangular mochi separately — on a rack, under a grill, or in a dry pan — until the surface is lightly charred and the piece has visibly puffed. This step decides the dish: mochi added cold and raw to the soup can adhere to the throat, causing a documented seasonal medical hazard, and will dissolve on over-simmering into a starchy mass. The mochi is ready when the exterior is firm and slightly blistered and the interior yields softly under pressure.
4. 4
   TOKYO STYLE — Step 4. Place one piece of grilled mochi in each warmed bowl. Arrange sliced kamaboko, carrot flowers, and mitsuba over and around the mochi. Ladle the hot dashi carefully over the arrangement. Serve immediately — the mochi continues to soften in the broth.
5. 5
   KYOTO STYLE — Step 1. Prepare a light kombu dashi. In a separate pan, bring a small volume of water to a simmer and cook the round mochi pieces until just tender throughout, then remove. The mochi should be soft and yielding but intact, holding its round form.
6. 6
   KYOTO STYLE — Step 2. Thin the white miso with a ladleful of warm dashi until it is fully dissolved and pourable. Add the head-on whole shrimp to the remaining warm dashi and cook just until pink and opaque. Stir the dissolved miso into the broth; do not allow the soup to boil after the miso has been added — the Kyoto technique is to bring the soup only to serving temperature at this point. The aroma should be sweet, fermented, and marine without sharpness.
7. 7
   KYOTO STYLE — Step 3. Place one pre-cooked round mochi in each warmed bowl. Add one whole shrimp. Ladle the white miso broth over. Finish with a small pinch of katsuobushi as garnish. Serve at once.