Ozoni is a special miso-based soup enjoyed in the morning on New Year’s Day in Japan. The soup usually includes mochi (rice cake), and the preparation varies by region and household.
The Japanese celebrate the New Year by feasting on Osechi Ryori (お節料理), traditional Japanese New Year food packed in lacquered boxes along with this special mochi soup called Ozoni (お雑煮).
What is Ozoni?
Ozoni is a special soup that we eat in the morning on New Year’s Day in Japan. It usually includes mochi (rice cake) and the preparation varies both by household and region.
There are numerous regional variations in Japan but we usually divide into two types – Kanto (Tokyo area) style and Kansai (Kyoto area) style.
Ozoni Soup
- The Kanto, Chugoku, and Kyushu regions: a clear miso soup which is flavored with bonito based dashi and soy sauce.
- The Kansai and Shikoku regions: white miso is added to the kombu base dashi soup.
- Some areas in Tottori prefecture: the azuki red bean soup with round mochi.
Mochi
- The Kanto region: a rectangular-shaped mochi is grilled/toasted before being added to the soup.
- The Kansai region: a round-shaped mochi is cooked in boiling water before being added to the soup.
Over 400 years ago, round mochi was commonly used throughout Japan. However, as more people started to live in the Tokyo area, it was too much work making the mochi into the round shape by hands. Therefore big mochi cake was cut into small squares and they became the common shape in the Kanto region.
Ingredients in Ozoni
- The Kanto style: chicken, fish cakes, dried shiitake, carrot, and some leafy vegetables like komatsuna, spinach, or mitsuba are often included in the soup, and garnished with yuzu peel.
- The Kansai style: ozoni, satoimo (taro root), daikon, and carrot are the common ingredients and often garnished with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) on top.
- Others: Some regions close to the ocean include fish and seafood, while mountain regions use vegetables and mushrooms. The additions to the soup vary based on the regional and seasonal ingredients.
Watch How To Make Ozoni – Japanese New Year Mochi Soup
This delicious miso-based soup is enjoyed on New Years Day in Japan. Its flavor and ingredients vary by region and household.
My Family’s Ozoni
As I mentioned earlier, this new year soup not only varies by the regions but also by each household.
My mother lived in Osaka before she moved to Tokyo for college. Her mother’s family was originally from Kyoto and her dad’s family was from Nara. Therefore, my mom’s family grew up eating Kansai-style Ozoni. On the other hand, my dad grew up in Tokyo eating Kanto-style Ozoni till he met my mom.
So, my mom’s ozoni is a mix of both, with the Kansai-style base. It includes 5 ingredients: satoimo (taro root), daikon, Kyoto style carrot (it’s red more than orange), toasted round mochi, and tofu. She uses Saikyo Miso (white miso from Kyoto).
For my version, I add leafy green vegetables (komatsuna or spinach) and yuzu peel, both of which are the common ingredients for Kanto-style ozoni. The green color to the soup makes it prettier and I also like to add the fragrance of yuzu peel if I was lucky enough to get fresh yuzu.
My children didn’t like ozoni when they were little, but now they love the Kansai-style and I’m so excited that we can enjoy this traditional food as a family.
Interested in Kanto-style Ozoni?
If you’re interested in Kanto-style Ozoni with white miso, check out the video and recipe with step by step pictures.
Use of Saikyo Miso
If you are new to Saikyo Miso (西京味噌), it’s different from regular white miso and it’s naturally sweet. The sweet flavor is similar to amazake (甘酒). This sweetness comes from the sugar produced through the fermentation process. Saikyo miso is made in Kyoto and it’s usually more expensive than regular miso. You might have tasted this special miso if you had fish called Gindara Saikyo Yaki (or the famous Miso Cod). You can find Saikyo Miso in a Japanese supermarket.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Ozoni (Japanese New Year Mochi Soup - Kansai Style)
Ingredients
- 1 piece kombu (dried kelp) (3" x 3", 8 x 8 cm)
- 3 cups water
- 2 pieces taro (satoimo)
- 2 inch daikon radish
- 3 inch carrot
- 2 stalks komatsuna (you can substitute with spinach)
- 3-5 Tbsp saikyo miso (kyoto-style white miso) (sweeter than regular white miso)
- 7 oz soft/silken tofu (kinugoshi tofu)
- 4 pieces round mochi (rice cake)
- yuzu zest (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Soak kombu in water overnight in a large pot.
- Peel taro (satoimo) and slice into rounds. Soak in water to remove the slimy texture.
- Peel daikon and slice into rounds. If it’s a large daikon, cut into quarters lengthwise.
- Peel carrot and slice into rounds. If you like to decorate the soup with a carrot flower, cut out some of the round slices into a floral shape. If you do so, separate the rounds and flower shapes pieces. You will be cooking round carrot slices with taro (satoimo) and daikon, but these flower slices will be cooked separately.
- Add satoimo (taro), daikon, and carrots into the pot filled with kombu water. Start cooking over medium high heat. Right before full boiling, remove the kombu and discard.
- Skim off foam (from satoimo/taro) from the surface of the soup with a fine mesh strainer. Lower the heat to medium low and cover with a lid, leaving a gap. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add water if too much liquid has evaporated.
- Meanwhile, cut komatsuna (or spinach) in half. Start boiling water in a saucepan. If you prepare carrot flower slices, add them into the water. When water is boiling, add komatsuna and cook till tender.
- Take out komatsuna and carrot when they are tender and cut komatsuna into smaller pieces. Set these toppings aside for now.
- Once the vegetables in the soup are tender, add 3 Tbsp saikyo miso first. Then add 1 Tbsp at a time till you’re satisfied with the flavor. My family likes thick soup so I tend to add more. Add tofu after you mix in miso so you won't break tofu.
- Peel the skin of yuzu and flip over to remove any white part. Julienne the yuzu skin.
- Use a toaster oven to toast the mochi until puffy. You can also toast mochi over open flame or under a broiler.
- Add the soup into a serving bowl first, then place add mochi on top along with the colorful toppings.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container or in the pot and store in the refrigerator for 3 days.
I remember loving mochi as a child.
Hi Donna! I always love eating mochi, but it’s so hard to stop at one or two… 🙂
I’ve never tried making a miso based ozoni before–but I may try it this year since we all love miso soup.It looks so good and hearty with all the other vegetables. We usually just have a bit of mizuna and I don’t broil the mochi. Happy New Year to you and your family, Nami! Looks like 2015 will be bigger and better for JOC! So exciting!
Hi Donna! I never made clear soup ozoni before as I have been making this Kansai style ozoni every year. I will definitely try Kanto version and hope to share a recipe next year. I love mizuna! Nijiya in my neighborhood carry it and I enjoy using in the cooking. Happy New Year to you and your family! Thank you for your continued support, Donna! 🙂
Thanks for sharing the regional differences, and also the history behind your family’s recipe. I hope that you and your family had a lovely Christmas, and will have a festive New Year’s as well! See you in 2015~~
Hi Kimmi! Thank you for always reading and writing comments on my blog! We had a nice Christmas. I hope you did too! Happy New Year to you and your family! xoxo
I still remember very clearly my first New Year’s in Japan with my husband’s parents in Osaka. 42 years later I remember eating mostly shrimp and beans as those were the only foods I recognized. A few years later I made the decision to master Oseichi Ryori. The first year I was up all night and finished the last dish around 8:00 am. My MIL hadn’t taught me how to make their Ozoni so I used a recipe from Kyoto that I saw on TV. Not only does it use the sweet white miso, but calls for a dab of karashi (hot mustard). It is the one dish we feel we have to have every year. This year, because of severe carpel tunnel syndrome in both hands, we opted to buy most of our Oseichi ready made at the Japanese supermarket. I will make just a few dishes along with our Ozoni. Rynen-mo, yuroshiku oneishimasu and please keep sharing Japanese recipes.
Hi Gayle! Yes, karashi is added to ozoni (with white miso) in Kyoto region! You have a wonderful memory of oshogatsu in Japan! And very impressive to make osechi staying up all night! At my grandparent’s, we used to spend 2 days for my family (about 10 of us). Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! Honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu!
Hi Namiko-san,
I’m having a question about the mochi. Are these ones rather hard like you can get them in kagami mochi package? I’m asking because I got a kagami mochi as present and we were thinking to through them into the soup, but I found this recipe now, where you grill the Mochi.
Thank you and please keep up with your work. Can’t wait trying your Bulgogi Onigirazu.
Best wishes,
Pascal
Hi Pascal! Thank you for writing! Yes, the mochi I’m using is those hard rice cakes looks like this.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/mochi-rice-cakes/
I guess your kagami mochi is the modern kind that is filled with single packaged mochi inside the kagami mochi mold. 🙂
So you can make the following recipes using mochi you have:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-enjoy-japanese-mochi/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/ozoni/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/zenzai-red-bean-soup/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/taiwanese-hot-pot-and-homemade-meatballs/ (one of ingredients for hot pot)
I always grill mochi in my toaster oven. You can use a frying pan or oven, but toaster oven is the most convenient!
Hope this helps!
Hi Nami!
I am looking forward to trying this once the weather turns cooler for fall, but in the meantime I was wondering if you had a source for acquiring the bowls with lid you use in this post. I purchased some wonderful donburi bowls with lids at daiso a few years ago and I love the size of the bowl, but for serving nabemono lid is so great for keeping the food hot as well. Unfortunately I have had terrible luck finding the bowl/lid set since then and mine a finally starting to wear out from frequent use.
Hi CK! These are real lacquer bowls from my grandma’s (I think, or my mom’s). I don’t think Daiso sells lacquer ones. If plastic ones are okay, this online store has some that ships everywhere:
https://www.akazuki.com/collections/japanese-bowls
Hope this helps. I can look into it more if you prefer lacquer ones.
Mmm I think this dish is perfect for New year!
Hi Tuyen! Thank you so much! 🙂
how can i make it for one person?
Hi Hiroko! You can use the same ingredients with less amount. Probably best to make half portion of this recipe and enjoy the soup for 2 meals. 🙂
Dear Nami, I only have shiro miso, but no Saikyo Shiro Miso. Can you say me how or better with what I can mix my shiro miso to get a little bit more similar to the Saikyo Shiro Miso? Thanks 🙂
Hi Katrin! These two miso types have different taste, so it’s harder to make it similar. Some regions use regular white miso too, and only kyoto area use this particular saikyo miso. So enjoy making Ozoni with white miso. 🙂
Hi Nami! Does this mean to say “1 Kombu” in ingredients?
Hi Lion! Yes! Thank you for noticing the error. We updated the recipe plugin and the amount got messed up pretty bad that time. 🙁 It’s been fixed. Thank you so much!
No problem! I was able to use the right amount when I made it since I’ve made enough of your other recipes to know that 3 kombu of that size would be too much. Glad you got it fixed. 🙂
Thanks Lion! He he, glad it was you who caught it. 🙂
If I wanted to make ozone for a large group and put the mochi in the soup, how long would it stay good? We have a New Year’s open house and people come and go all afternoon.
Thanks! Love you site. Have made many recipes.
Hi Catherine! Thank you for trying many recipes from my site! Don’t add mochi until you’re ready to serve. It gets all dissolved into the pot and not a good idea. It gets a bit tricky… but mochi should be boiled or toasted right before you pour the soup into the bowl. Maybe the toasted/cooked mochi can stand 10 minutes until you pour the hot soup… Mochi for sure won’t stay in shape for all day. You won’t be able to scoop up a “shaped mochi” if you leave it in the soup. Is it possible one person who serve the soup can drop mochi in boiling water and pick up before pouring the soup? So you would put mochi in the bowl first, then pour ozoni? That’s what I would do… 🙂
Looks great! Where can I buy the ozoni bowls in USA?
Hi Edie! Besides Amazon, have you seen this store?
https://mtckitchen.com/search.php?search_query=soup%20bowl§ion=content
Hi Nami! Do you have a recipe to make these mochi in soup (the squared and round ones that you grill) using komochi flour instead of the cooked sweet rice? Thank you Nami.
Hi Gwen! We usually make kirimochi from the cooked sweet rice (like this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-mochi-with-a-stand-mixer/). I’m not sure what’s “komochi flour” (oh, maybe mochiko?). I think you can steam it and shape into a round or rectangular shape. I had never done it and it’s not a traditional/usual way. I think texture may be different?
Thank you Nami for your response. I meant the mochiko flour. I bought both kinds of mochi flour as written in your mochi post. I’ll try your recipe soon and let you know how it turn out.
Hi Gwen! Unfortunately, kirimochi (the square dried mochi you’re talking about) is made of pounded mochi that’s made from the steamed glutinous rice. Not from the flour. You can make daifuku mochi and all the sweet mochi desserts with mochiko. 🙂