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Ozoni (Japanese New Year Mochi Soup)

Ozoni is typically the first thing eaten on New Year's Day as it represents longevity and prosperous life for the New Year. This is not only the tastiest recipe on how to make Ozoni or Japanese New Year Mochi Soup, but will also show you a quick way on how to make mochi for a prosperous year ahead!
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Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: japanese food, japanese new years tradition, mochi soup recipe, ozoni, traditional japanese food
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

Soup

  • 4 cups Water
  • 2 pieces Kombu (dried sea kelp)
  • 2 cups Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
  • 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 2 Chicken thighs (cut in bite size pieces)

Mochi

  • 1 cup Mochiko
  • 1/2 cup Water

Optional Toppings

  • Kamaboko (Japanese fish cake)
  • Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley)

Instructions

Soup

  • Pour 4 cup cold water to pot
  • Rehydrate kombu (dried sea kelp) in water for at least 30 minutes (preferably overnight or for several hours)
  • Place water and kombu in a pot and bring to a low simmer for 15 minutes
  • Turn off heat and add katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
  • Let it steep for 10 minutes
  • After 10 minutes, remove kombu and katsuobushi from water. This is the dashi stock for the soup.
  • Using dashi, turn on heat and add in soy sauce and chicken thighs
  • Cook chicken in soup for about 5 - 10 minutes (depending on size of chicken)

Mochi

  • While the chicken is cooking, combine mochiko and water in a bowl
  • Mix until combined. It should feel like soft play dough. If it is too dry, add in a dash of water. If it is too wet, sprinkle in more mochiko.
  • Shape in indivual bite sized pieces. About 1in in diameter and 1/2in in thickness.
  • Add mochi to soup
  • Simmer until mochi floats to the top and simmer for additional 2 minutes
  • Serve in bowls and enjoy!