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Zoni with kamaboko, a Japanese soup with mochi rice, fish cake and fresh coriander
Japanese new year soup with fish cake

Zoni with kamaboko

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Soups
Zoni (or Ozoni) is not just a soup, but the soul of the Japanese New Year (Osechi Ryori). According to belief, the rice spirit dwelling in the mochi (rice cake) gives strength and long life for the new year. In Japan, it varies by region: Tokyo (Kanto) prefers a clear soy sauce broth (sumashi-jiru) with square mochi, while Kyoto (Kansai) favours a white miso, creamier version with round mochi. This recipe is an elegant blend of the two: the purity of dashi is crowned by the silkiness of white miso and the festive colours of kamaboko (fish cake).
🕒 Prep Time 15 mins
🍳 Cook Time 25 mins
⌛ Total Time 40 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 320 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Medium saucepan (for the soup)
  • Frying pan or grill (for the mochi)
  • Sharp knife (for slicing kamaboko)
  • Ladle
  • Sieve

Allergen Information

⚠️ Fish (Dashi, Kamaboko)
⚠️ Soya (Soy sauce, Miso)
⚠️ Cereals containing gluten (Soy sauce, unless gluten-free)

Instructions

1 ✓

Prepare the ingredients: cut the spring onion into hair-thin rings, and the nori sheet into strips or small rectangles. Wash the coriander and pick the leaves.

Tip: In Japanese cuisine, cutting technique is the foundation of aesthetics. Cutting the onion diagonally gives a more elegant shape.
2 ✓

Heat the dashi stock in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Add the soy sauce.

Tip: Never boil dashi vigorously, as the aromas are volatile and the broth can become cloudy.
3 ✓

Ladle out a small amount of hot soup into a bowl and mix the miso paste in it until lump-free. Pour back into the pot, but do not boil from this point on!

Tip: Miso contains living enzymes and delicate aromas that 100°C boiling would destroy, and the taste would become harsher.
4 ✓

Bake the mochi (if dry block) in a dry frying pan or grill (toaster oven) for 4-5 minutes until it puffs up and the outside browns slightly. Alternatively, boil it directly in the soup for 3-4 minutes until soft and stretchy.

Tip: Baking adds caramelised notes (Maillard reaction) to the outside of the mochi, creating an exciting texture contrast in the soup.
5 ✓

Slice the kamaboko into 3-4 mm thin slices. If you want a festive mood, cut a small notch in the top or tie it in a knot (if shapeable).

Tip: Kamaboko's elastic texture is due to the special structure of fish proteins (gel formation), giving a nice smooth surface when cut.
6 ✓

Place the soft mochi at the bottom of soup bowls. Ladle the hot, steaming soup over it.

Tip: The hot soup further softens the baked mochi, so it partially absorbs flavours.
7 ✓

Arrange the kamaboko slices on top, sprinkle with the fresh spring onion, coriander, and nori strips. Serve immediately.

Tip: In plating, colour harmony is the goal: white mochi, pink-white kamaboko, and green herbs symbolise the approach of spring.

Recipe FAQ

What if the mochi is too hard?
Store-bought 'kiri-mochi' (dried block) is very hard. It must be heat-treated (baked or boiled) to change the starch structure and become soft and stretchy.
Can dashi be substituted?
Dashi is the soul of the dish (umami). If you don't have time to make it from seaweed and bonito flakes, use good quality instant dashi powder, but stock cubes won't work here.
Why doesn't the miso paste dissolve?
Miso is thick. Always mix it smooth in a ladleful of hot soup separately before adding to the large pot to avoid lumps.

Ingredients

  • 1000 ml Dashi stock (from kombu kelp and bonito)
  • 150 g Kamaboko (Japanese fish cake, cylindrical)
  • 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (lighter type recommended)
  • 1 tbsp Shiro Miso (white miso paste)
  • 2 stalks Spring onion or Scallion
  • 4 pieces Mochi (Kiri-mochi, dried rice brick)
  • 1 small bunch Fresh Coriander or Mitsuba (Japanese parsley)
  • 1 sheet Nori seaweed (dried)