New Year's Mochi Soup Recipe

By
Judy Ung
Judy Ung
Food writer, recipe developer, and blogger who has published hundreds of Japanese home-cooking recipes.
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Updated on 12/10/21
Oshogatsu Osechi Ryori Miso Ozoni
Saikyo Miso Ozoni (White Miso Mochi Soup for New Years) Photo Credit: Imagenvi/Getty Images
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
450 Calories
8g Fat
61g Carbs
24g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 450
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 1232mg 54%
Total Carbohydrate 61g 22%
Dietary Fiber 8g 29%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 27mg 133%
Calcium 155mg 12%
Iron 2mg 13%
Potassium 1306mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

White Saikyo miso ozoni is a Japanese soup that originates from the Kyoto region of Japan. It is unique in that the base of the ozoni mochi (rice cake) soup is made from a sweet pale white miso (fermented soybean paste).

Aside from the mochi (rice cake) and white miso, other ingredients might include a variety of vegetables, commonly with carrots and daikon radish, but largely dependent upon the region of Japan, individual family tradition, and preference. Other ozoni soup add-ins might include taro root (sato imo), mizuna vegetable, mustard greens, spinach, various fish cakes, sweet potatoes, chicken, seafood. 

The key to Kyoto style ozoni is white Saikyo miso which originates from Kyoto. The miso is a very pale white color in comparison to traditional miso which tends to range from yellow to dark brown and red. Saikyo white miso tends to have a lower sodium content because of the way that it is made, and as such, has a much sweeter flavor.

Ingredients

For Homemade Dashi:

  • 4 1/2 cups dashi broth

  • 4 1/2 cups water

  • 1 (2-inch) sheet dried dashi kombu

  • 1/2 teaspoon dashi powder

Add-Ins:

  • 1 (2- to 3-inch) piece daikon radish

  • 1 (3-inch) piece carrot

  • 1 cup mizuna, or other mild leafy green

  • 2 small taro roots (satoimo)

  • 4 slices red kamaboko

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons Saikyo white miso

  • 4 pieces mochi rice cake

  • 1/3 cup dried bonito, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Choose which method you will use to prepare the dashi. For dashi from scratch, follow the recipe on our blog here. 

  2. If you are making quick dashi, add water in a stock pot and soak the konbu dashi (dried kelp) for 4 to 8 hours. If you do not have time to do this, soak the konbu for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Leave the dashi konbu in the stock pot while the soup cooks.

  3. Slice carrots into delicate rounds, and slice daikon into thin rounds, then cut the rounds into halves or quarters, depending on the width of the daikon.

  4. If you are using fresh taro root or sato imo, peel the rough skin, then slice into rounds. Sato imo is also available for sale pre-peeled and cut into small balls in the freezer section of some Japanese grocery stores. Feel free to substitute fresh taro with frozen taro.

  5. Over medium high heat add dashi, and carrots, daikon, and sato imo (taro root) and bring to a boil. Skim any impurities from the surface of the stock. Over medium-low heat, cook vegetables until they reach desired tenderness.

  6. Remove a piece of konbu from the pot and add mizuna leaves. 

  7. Lastly, add mochi to the pot and cook an additional 2 minutes until tender. Alternatively, make grilled mochi (rice cake), serve soup in small bowls, and garnish soup with a beautiful piece of grilled mochi. Enjoy immediately.

Tips

  • Ozoni is fundamentally a soup with mochi (rice cake), and for this Saikyo miso ozoni recipe, the rice cake may either be boiled with the soup, or it may be grilled.
  • Two options for preparing the dashi broth are provided.
  • Only 4 cups of dashi are required for the recipe, so please choose only one method for preparing dashi from scratch or the recipe for the quick dashi.
  • Please do not accidentally double the recipe and use 8 cups of dashi.