The Japanese celebrate the New Year by feasting on Osechi Ryori (お節料理), traditional Japanese New Year food packed in lacquered boxes along with this special mochi soup called Ozoni (お雑煮).
What is Ozoni?
Ozoni is a special soup that we eat in the morning on New Year’s Day in Japan. It usually includes mochi (rice cake) and the preparation varies both by household and region. There are numerous regional variations in Japan but we usually divide into two types – Kanto (Tokyo area) style and Kansai (Kyoto area) style. Ozoni Soup
The Kanto, Chugoku, and Kyushu regions: a clear miso soup which is flavored with bonito based dashi and soy sauce.The Kansai and Shikoku regions: white miso is added to the kombu base dashi soup.Some areas in Tottori prefecture: the azuki red bean soup with round mochi.
Mochi
The Kanto region: a rectangular-shaped mochi is grilled/toasted before being added to the soup.The Kansai region: a round-shaped mochi is cooked in boiling water before being added to the soup.
Over 400 years ago, round mochi was commonly used throughout Japan. However, as more people started to live in the Tokyo area, it was too much work making the mochi into the round shape by hands. Therefore big mochi cake was cut into small squares and they became the common shape in the Kanto region. Ingredients in Ozoni
The Kanto style: chicken, fish cakes, dried shiitake, carrot, and some leafy vegetables like komatsuna, spinach, or mitsuba are often included in the soup, and garnished with yuzu peel.The Kansai style: ozoni, satoimo (taro root), daikon, and carrot are the common ingredients and often garnished with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) on top.Others: Some regions close to the ocean include fish and seafood, while mountain regions use vegetables and mushrooms. The additions to the soup vary based on the regional and seasonal ingredients.
My Family’s Ozoni
As I mentioned earlier, this new year soup not only varies by the regions but also by each household. My mother lived in Osaka before she moved to Tokyo for college. Her mother’s family was originally from Kyoto and her dad’s family was from Nara. Therefore, my mom’s family grew up eating Kansai-style Ozoni. On the other hand, my dad grew up in Tokyo eating Kanto-style Ozoni till he met my mom. So, my mom’s ozoni is a mix of both, with the Kansai-style base. It includes 5 ingredients: satoimo (taro root), daikon, Kyoto style carrot (it’s red more than orange), toasted round mochi, and tofu. She uses Saikyo Miso (white miso from Kyoto). For my version, I add leafy green vegetables (komatsuna or spinach) and yuzu peel, both of which are the common ingredients for Kanto-style ozoni. The green color to the soup makes it prettier and I also like to add the fragrance of yuzu peel if I was lucky enough to get fresh yuzu. My children didn’t like ozoni when they were little, but now they love the Kansai-style and I’m so excited that we can enjoy this traditional food as a family.
Interested in Kanto-style Ozoni?
If you’re interested in Kanto-style Ozoni with white miso, check out the video and recipe with step by step pictures.
Use of Saikyo Miso
If you are new to Saikyo Miso (西京味噌), it’s different from regular white miso and it’s naturally sweet. The sweet flavor is similar to amazake (甘酒). This sweetness comes from the sugar produced through the fermentation process. Saikyo miso is made in Kyoto and it’s usually more expensive than regular miso. You might have tasted this special miso if you had fish called Gindara Saikyo Yaki (or known as Miso Cod here in the US). You can find saikyo miso in a Japanese supermarket. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 28, 2014. It’s been republished in December 2021.
