Best 5 Zoni Recipes

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Zoni, a traditional Japanese New Year's soup, is a comforting and flavorful dish that symbolizes good luck and prosperity. It typically consists of a clear broth made with dashi (Japanese soup stock), a variety of vegetables, and mochi (glutinous rice cake). While there are many regional variations of zoni, the most common ingredients include daikon radish, carrots, lotus root, and shiitake mushrooms. Mochi, the star ingredient, is usually added at the end to prevent it from becoming too mushy. Zoni is a heartwarming dish that brings people together during the New Year's celebration, and its preparation and consumption are considered to bring good fortune for the year to come.

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

OZONI (MOCHI SOUP)



Ozoni (Mochi Soup) image

People in Japan and the Japanese diaspora hold mochi-making parties in late December, taking turns swinging an enormous mallet, pounding sticky rice in a hollowed-out stump until smooth and stretchy, then shaping it into balls or disks. Some of the mochi is eaten fresh with sweet or savory toppings, and some is offered plain to the spirits. (Stores sell it for anyone too busy to make it.) On New Year's Day, hardened mochi pieces are reheated and used in ozoni soup. In Kyoto, round vegetables and mochi bob around in a pale miso soup; in Tokyo, rectangular mochi is served in shoyu broth; in Kanazawa, people add multicolored mochi and sweet shrimp to clear dashi; and in Fukui, it's red miso soup with mochi and nothing else. This recipe, from Corinne Nakagawa Gooden, originates in Hiroshima, and came to Seattle with her grandmother Hisaye Sasaki in the early 1900s.

Provided by Hannah Kirshner

Categories     soups and stews, appetizer, main course

Time 1h

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 pound chicken wings, necks, feet or meaty bones
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons mirin
4 golf ball-size or 2 egg-size satoimo (taro root)
3 ounces mizuna (about 4 cups), roots trimmed and discarded, stems and leaves cut into 2-inch lengths
8 to 16 (¼-inch-thick) slices Naruto kamaboko (red-and-white spiraled fishcake)
1 yuzu or Meyer lemon
8 pieces plain mochi (see Note)

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.

ZUNI CAFé'S RED ONION PICKLES



Zuni Café's Red Onion Pickles image

At San Francisco's Zuni Café, these crisp, bright pink onion rings are served with the hamburger, but they are also delicious paired with charcuterie, pâtés, cheese platters and smoked fish. Easy to make and wonderful to have on hand, the pickles keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Provided by David Tanis

Categories     pickles

Time 1h

Yield 2 pints

Number Of Ingredients 10

3 cups distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken
A few cloves
A few allspice berries
1 dried red chile
1 star anise pod (optional)
2 bay leaves
A few black peppercorns
1 pound firm red onions (about 2 medium)

Steps:

  • Make the brine: Combine vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice berries, chile, star anise, bay leaves and peppercorns in a 4-quart (or larger) nonreactive pot at least 10 inches in diameter. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Cover pot, turn off heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
  • Peel the onions, trim ends and slice crosswise into 3/8-inch thick slices. Separate into rings, discarding any green centers or leathery outer rings.
  • Bring the brine back to a boil. Add onions and turn off heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to submerge onions. Leave to steep, covered, until mixture cools.
  • Transfer onions and brine to pint jars and refrigerate for at least a day before serving.

ZONI



Zoni image

This is a traditional soup served in Japan over New Year's. The mochi cakes, kelp, bonito flakes, and naruto can be found in Japanese grocery stores. Sake can be found in the wine section of many grocery stores (as well as Japanese stores).

Provided by Ayumi

Categories     Soup

Time 3h30m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

4 cups water
1 (4 inch) piece dashi kombu (dried kelp)
1 cup bonito shavings (dry fish flakes)
¼ cup spinach, rinsed and sliced
⅔ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
4 frozen toasted mochi squares, thawed
4 naruto (fish paste stick with a red spiral pattern)
4 slices yuzu (citron) peel

Steps:

  • To Make Dashi: Rinse kelp and pat dry. Place kelp in a medium size pot, along with the 3 cups of water. Steep in the water for 3 hours.
  • After steeping, bring the water with kelp in it to a boil. Then remove and discard the kelp. Remove the water from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
  • Place the fish flakes in a pot of water. Bring the pot of water to a boil. When the shavings have sunk to the bottom of the pot, strain, reserving the liquid. This is the dashi, the basic broth for Japanese soups and dishes.
  • While making the dashi, place the spinach in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. When the spinach is cooked, drain well.
  • Pour salt, thin soy sauce and sake in the heated dashi. Ladle the soup into bowls for servings. Into each bowl place one piece each of mochi cake, spinach and fish paste. Put a piece of citrus rind in each bowl.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 131.4 calories, Carbohydrate 24.6 g, Cholesterol 2.3 mg, Fat 0.2 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 6.3 g, Sodium 661.6 mg, Sugar 0.8 g

ZONI



Zoni image

This is a traditional soup served in Japan over New Year's. The mochi cakes, kelp, bonito flakes, and naruto can be found in Japanese grocery stores. Sake can be found in the wine section of many grocery stores (as well as Japanese stores).

Provided by Ayumi

Categories     Soup

Time 3h30m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 10

4 cups water
1 (4 inch) piece dashi kombu (dried kelp)
1 cup bonito shavings (dry fish flakes)
¼ cup spinach, rinsed and sliced
⅔ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
4 frozen toasted mochi squares, thawed
4 naruto (fish paste stick with a red spiral pattern)
4 slices yuzu (citron) peel

Steps:

  • To Make Dashi: Rinse kelp and pat dry. Place kelp in a medium size pot, along with the 3 cups of water. Steep in the water for 3 hours.
  • After steeping, bring the water with kelp in it to a boil. Then remove and discard the kelp. Remove the water from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
  • Place the fish flakes in a pot of water. Bring the pot of water to a boil. When the shavings have sunk to the bottom of the pot, strain, reserving the liquid. This is the dashi, the basic broth for Japanese soups and dishes.
  • While making the dashi, place the spinach in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. When the spinach is cooked, drain well.
  • Pour salt, thin soy sauce and sake in the heated dashi. Ladle the soup into bowls for servings. Into each bowl place one piece each of mochi cake, spinach and fish paste. Put a piece of citrus rind in each bowl.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 131.4 calories, Carbohydrate 24.6 g, Cholesterol 2.3 mg, Fat 0.2 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 6.3 g, Sodium 661.6 mg, Sugar 0.8 g

JAPANESE ZONI



Japanese Zoni image

Make and share this Japanese Zoni recipe from Food.com.

Provided by katii

Categories     Clear Soup

Time 1h

Yield 1 1/2 cup, 1 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 9

1 cup water
2 tablespoons dried hijiki seaweed, chopped
1/4 cup onion flakes
1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon spinach, chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
sea salt (to taste)

Steps:

  • Combine water and seaweed; bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 1/2 an hour.
  • Add in the onion, soy sauce, sake, and spinach; bring to a boil.
  • Add celery and salt; mix well.
  • Garnish with lemon zest and serve.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 97.1, Fat 0.2, Sodium 42.9, Carbohydrate 19.2, Fiber 2.8, Sugar 8.1, Protein 2.2

Tips:

  • Use fresh vegetables: Always use fresh, seasonal vegetables for the best flavor and texture. If a particular vegetable is out of season, consider using a frozen variety.
  • Don't overcook the vegetables: Zoni is a soup, not a stew, so the vegetables should not be overcooked. They should retain a bit of their crunch.
  • Use a good quality dashi: Dashi is the Japanese soup stock that forms the base of zoni. It is essential to use a good quality dashi, as it will make a big difference to the flavor of the soup.
  • Add your favorite toppings: Zoni is a versatile dish that can be customized to your liking. Some popular toppings include mochi, green onions, and shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice powder).
  • Serve with rice: Zoni is traditionally served with rice. The rice helps to soak up the flavorful broth and vegetables.

Conclusion:

Zoni is a delicious and hearty Japanese soup that is perfect for a cold winter day. It is easy to make and can be customized to your liking. Whether you are a vegetarian or a meat-eater, there is a zoni recipe out there for you. So next time you are looking for a comforting and flavorful meal, give zoni a try!

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