Ozoni Mochi Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat a toaster oven (or regular oven) to 450 degrees F.
• Place the mochi on a small baking sheet, spacing the pieces at least 2 inches apart, and bake until lightly golden and puffed up, about 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Using a spider or tongs, transfer the spinach to the ice bath just until cooled, then drain. Squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach. Form into a tight "log" about 5 inches long, then cut crosswise into 4 equal pieces and set aside.
• Combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons of the sake and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a very small saucepan. Add 3/4 cup water (or enough to just cover the chicken). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and gently simmer, stirring once or twice, until the chicken is just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring the dashi to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the daikon, shiitakes and carrot and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon sake and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
• Drain the chicken and divide it among 4 soup bowls (preferably narrow and deep). Place a piece of mochi and fish cake, if using, in each bowl. Top with the broth and vegetables, followed by a parcel of spinach. Sprinkle with yuzu or lemon zest, if using, and serve.
• Combine the kombu and 6 cups cold water in a medium saucepan and let sit for about 30 minutes. (You can skip this step if you're short on time, but it does lend a little extra flavor.) Heat over medium heat just until the water comes to a near boil, but doesn't actually boil, about 5 minutes. Discard the kombu.
• Scatter the katsuobushi evenly over the water, bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately remove from the heat. Let steep, undisturbed, for about 10 minutes.
• Pour the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or quart-size measuring cup. Do not press down on the katsuobushi, which can make the dashi cloudy and/or bitter.
• Dashi is best used the day it is made but can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes about 5 cups

Steps:

• Make the chicken stock: Rinse the chicken parts. In a pot, bring the chicken, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 quarts water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Continue to cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes, reducing the heat as needed to prevent a full boil (which would cloud the broth).
• Strain the broth and discard the chicken or reserve the meat for another use. Add the mirin to the broth and set aside.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the satoimo and blanch until the skin is soft enough to slip off easily, about 3 minutes. Drain the satoimo, then use a spoon to scrape off the skin. Slice the satoimo into ¼-inch-thick rounds, then transfer them to a small saucepan. Add enough of the chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce the heat to simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.
• In lacquerware soup bowls or other small bowls, neatly arrange mizuna, satoimo and 1 or 2 slices of Naruto. Peel one or two long strips from the yuzu, then cut the strips very thinly crosswise. In a medium saucepan, reheat the chicken stock. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
• To serve, heat the mochi until puffy and soft, for a few minutes in a toaster oven or under the broiler, or 30 seconds on high in a microwave, and add it to the bowls. Immediately ladle about 1/2 cup hot broth into each bowl - before the mochi hardens - and garnish with a pinch of yuzu peel.