Zosui is a comforting Japanese rice soup cooked in a savory dashi broth with vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, and sometimes chicken. It‘s a mild and nourishing meal that helps refuel your energy. With pantry-ready ingredients, you can easily make it in no time! {Vegan-friendly}
Regardless of the season, I always welcome a comforting, healthy soup. If you’re like me, this Japanese Rice Soup called Zosui (雑炊) is for you!
You’ll need only minimal ingredients, which can be any leftover scraps of vegetables or mushrooms in the refrigerator. Ready in less than 30 minutes, this bowl of warm rice soup will instantly reenergize and restore your energy.
Table of Contents
What is Zosui?
Zōsui (雑炊) is a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and dashi broth that’s seasoned with soy sauce. Some may describe it as the Japanese version of congee, except Zosui is more robust in texture. The rice grains are intact while submerged in the soup broth.
It is generally served to those who are sick or under the weather. Therefore, Zosui is often cooked with simple and easy-to-digest ingredients, such as a small amount of vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs.
If you want to make it more hearty, you can add protein like meat and seafood as I did in this recipe. It can also be totally vegan by using kombu dashi and vegan-friendly ingredients.
Zosui is not a common restaurant menu, but some places offer it at the end of a hot pot meal as an option. The restaurant staff will make it right at the table by reusing leftover soup from the hot pot. It’s an instant fill-me-up kind of dish.
What is the Difference between Zosui vs. Ojiya?
If you’re familiar with Japanese food, you may have heard of Ojiya (おじや), another popular rice-based soup during the cold season.
Since rice is simmered in a dashi broth in both dishes, Zosui and Ojiya have a lot in common.
Many people use the words Ojiya and Zosui interchangeably, and the usage varies by region and household. However, there are some common differences between them:
Zosui (雑炊)
- Cooked rice is rinsed under water first to remove excess starch.
- It does not get cooked too long so the shape of the rice is retained.
- The broth is seasoned only with soy sauce.
Ojiya (おじや)
- Rice is never rinsed.
- Ojiya can be cooked for a longer time and the rice can be mushy (and no visible shape of the rice).
- The broth is seasoned with miso or soy sauce, but not overly flavored.
Ingredients for Japanese Rice Soup
- Dashi broth – Unlike chicken broth or vegetable broth, dashi can be made pretty quickly, even from scratch. In this recipe, I used a dashi packet, which makes it even easier but tastes a lot better than an instant dashi powder. And if you happen to have some leftover hot pot broth, you can definitely use it to make Zosui.
- Vegetables – I used green onions and carrots today.
- Mushrooms – I used shiitake mushrooms.
- Eggs
- Chicken or whatever that’s available in your refrigerator.
- Cooked rice – Most Japanese keep the leftover rice frozen, and here’s how to store cooked rice.
How to Make the Best Zosui
- Make dashi.
- Cut all the ingredients and rinse the cooked rice.
- Start cooking chicken, followed by dense vegetables, mushrooms, and rice.
- Once everything is cooked through, drizzle eggs and sprinkle green onions.
- Serve warm!
Vegan-Friendly Zosui Ingredients
Zosui is super flexible and easily customizable, and you can make it any way you like. You can use any veggies, but here are some additions for vegan/vegetarian zosui:
- Tofu – silken tofu, aburaage (fried tofu pouch), or atsuage (thick fried tofu)
- Japanese mushrooms – shiitake, shimeji, maitake, enoki, king oyster
- Vegan-friendly kimchi
- Umeboshi
- Natto
- Wakame seaweed
- Shredded nori (kizami nori)
- Soy milk – this makes the dish tonyuu zosui (豆乳雑炊). It has a creamy and sweet flavor and makes a delicious rendition for vegans or vegetarians.
Believe it or not, this Japanese Rice Soup takes less than 30 minutes to cook! It’s not only warm and delicious, but it’s also full of nutrition to give us the strength to recover from sicknesses.
Other Comforting Rice Dishes
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Zosui (Japanese Rice Soup)
Video
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 3 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock) (use standard Awase Dashi, dashi packet or powder, or Vegan Dashi)
- 2 tsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the Zosui
- 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1–2 pieces; skip for vegan/vegetarian)
- 1 inch carrot (1.4 oz, 40 g)
- 2 shiitake mushrooms (2.8 oz, 80 g)
- 2 green onions/scallions
- 1½ cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice (10.6 oz; cold, pre-cooked rice works well; or use freshly made)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (skip for vegan)
- ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- ⅛ tsp white pepper powder
Instructions
- Before You Start: For the steamed rice, please note that ¾ cup (150 g, 1 rice cooker cup) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yields 2¼ US cups (330 g) of cooked white rice. See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe. Now, gather all the ingredients.
To Prepare the Dashi
- In a large pot (I used a donabe), add 3 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock). You can make Awase Dashi or Vegan Dashi from scratch or use a dashi packet, as I demonstrate here. First, add 3 cups water and 1 dashi packet to the donabe.
- Cover the lid and slowly bring the water to a boil on low heat. After a few minutes, open the lid and shake the bag to release more flavor.
- Close the lid and continue to heat the broth. Once boiling, cook for 3 minutes and discard the dashi packet. Keep the lid closed and set aside.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Remove the excess fat from 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut the meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
- Discard the tough stems of 2 shiitake mushrooms and thinly slice the caps.
- Cut 1 inch carrot into quarters lengthwise and thinly slice them crosswise.
- Slice 2 green onions/scallions into thin rounds and put them in a small bowl. Set aside for garnish.
- Measure 1½ cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice. If you’re using cold pre-cooked rice, put it in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under running water to remove any excess starch. Shake and drain well. If you’re using freshly made rice, you can skip rinsing.
To Cook the Zosui
- To the hot dashi broth, add the chicken.
- Close the lid and bring it to a boil on medium-low heat. Once boiling, use a fine-mesh skimmer to skim the scum and foam on the surface.
- Add the carrot and cook covered until tender, about 4–5 minutes.
- Once the carrot is tender, add 2 tsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the broth.
- Add the shiitake mushrooms and well-drained cooked rice. Cover to cook for 10 minutes.
- Beat 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) in a bowl or a measuring cup with a pouring spout.
- To create fluffy egg ribbons, slowly drizzle a thin stream of the beaten egg over the soup surface in a circular pattern, starting from the center and spiraling outward. For better control, place your cooking chopstick vertically at the edge where you pour the egg. Avoid pouring the egg in the same place.
- Add some of the green onion and ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds. Sprinkle ⅛ tsp white pepper powder at the end.
- Cover with the lid and bring the pot to the table to serve in individual bowls. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 5, 2020. It’s been republished in January 2022.
To make vegetarian, what would you suggest? Firm or silken tofu?
Looks great
Hi Ryan! Sure, and more mushrooms, veggies… this is a pretty flexible recipe that you can probably use any scraps you can find in the refrigerator (small amount of this and that). 🙂
During this Corona Virus shut down I have been trying lots of recipes and this one is just pure comfort! We always have left over rice and this recipe was easy and tasty. It is a keeper for those nights that I need something to make me feel better. THANK YOU. StaySafe.
Hi Mary! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it and for your kind feedback. I hope you and your family stay safe and healthy at this unusual time.
Can you show or provide the name of the brand of dashi that you use? I am new to Japanese cooking although I love, love Japanese cuisine. Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. I tried a few and they were all a success, despite my lack of cooking skills; thanks to your detailed instructions and videos. 🥰
Hi Hope! This is the dashi packet I use(d):
My favorite brand is Kayanoya: https://amzn.to/2x6Isgj
I used to use this brand Yamaki: https://amzn.to/2JG3rta
It’s a lot easier to use this when you don’t want to make dashi from scratch (and cheaper than veggie/chicken stock!). However, homemade dashi is SUPER easy to make, if you have 20-30 minutes. 🙂
My mom used to make this for me when I was sick but I never learned how to make it myself. Absolutely delicious and a terrific tummy warmer! I made the dashi from scratch. LOVE YOUR BLOG.
Hi Satomi! I’m so happy to hear you made your own dashi and make this recipe! It must be so delicious. Thank you for your kind words about my blog. I’m glad you get inspiration from my website. xo
We made this for dinner a few days ago and it was really simple and yummy. We’ll definitely be making it again. I love your site and trying new recipes. Thank you for another great one!
Hi Stacey! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback. 🙂 xoxo
Hi Nami! Thank you so much for everything you do :)!
I know you’ve said that you haven’t cooked this with many other types of rice, but I was wondering. I bought Brown Rice from my local asian Market and was wondering how you think it would turn out? I know brown rice can be a bit firmer than the white variants. I personally have never had Japanese short grain but my local market is sold out as you can imagine ):! Do you think a firmer rice would ruin the texture?
In the Philippines my family cooked a rice portage with white rice and the finished product was supposed to be a soft, easy to chew texture, so I’m imagining that’s what this is supposed to turn out as!
Hi Mayumi! Thank you so much for your kind words!
I eat Japanese short-grain brown rice too, so I should try it with this recipe one day. My brown rice is somewhat similar to white rice, so by tasting/looking at them, I don’t think it is an issue with this recipe.
Since you mentioned “firmer”… I want to suggest you to soak the brown rice for 6 hours at least. Japanese always soak brown rice longer (6-12 hours) than white rice (white rice requires 30 minutes only). Water is absorbed in the rice, so it shouldn’t be that hard. 🙂
Hope you enjoy this recipe!
This was so delicious! My roommate has coronavirus and it’s been a stressful time for all of us. I made this for her and my brother and it really made us feel cozy and happy! My brother said it tasted like being in a Ghibli movie haha. Thanks for the delicious recipe, I’ll definitely be making it again 😊
Best wishes! Stay healthy! 🌸
Hi West! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so sorry to hear your roommate has coronavirus. You’re such a kind friend to feed her with a nutritious meal she needs. I hope she’s getting better. I pray for her fast recovery, and I hope you and your brother stay safe and healthy at this difficult time. Thinking of you guys. xo
I made this for my supper last evening. It was good but I had no mushrooms. I think I would have liked it even more with them. I cut a couple of asparagus spear and added them and they were a good addition.
Hi Barbara! Thanks for trying my recipe and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Nami,
I am planning to use seafood instead of chicken for this recipe. Given that seafood cooks quickly, do I still add it in at the beginning, like the chicken? Otherwise, when will be a good time to add?
Thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes! \(^^,)/
Hi Ryphez! What type of vegetables do you use? If you use a lot of dense root vegetables (like daikon etc), I may start from that. But with a slice of carrot etc, I’d add fish at the same time and give some flavor to the broth. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This looks delicious! My husband and I both have colds, so I’ll try coming this weekend. Will any leftovers keep ok on the fridge/be ok to reheat?
Hi Luci! I’m sorry to hear you and your husband are sick. I also made this dish while we had flu earlier this month too… Hope you enjoy this dish. As for the leftovers, I usually try not to keep the rice in the soup as it absorbs all the soup and becomes thick rice porridge. Some people may like it but I don’t. So I usually add just enough rice to finish eating (I prefer more soupy consistency for this dish). 🙂
Wanting to try this but I don’t have a donabe. Can I make this in a regular pot or cast iron pot? It looks amazing and I need to try cooking it!
Hi Stephanie! You don’t need to use a donabe. Please use a regular pot. 🙂
The teenagers loved this. I added some extra rice to fill them up but didn’t really need to as the soup is very hearty as is.
Hi Geri! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m so happy to hear your teenagers enjoyed it! Thanks for trying my recipe!
Our whole household is sick so I made this tonight and it was perfect. I was a little unclear on how much rice “1 1/2 rice bowls” is though. How much uncooked rice makes 1 1/2 bowls?
Hi Brent! 1 Rice Cooker Cup (180 ml / 150 g) yields 330 g of cooked rice, which is about 2 bowls of rice (150 g per bowl). Hope that helps! I’ll add this info to the notes.
I just made this. Quick, easy, and very delicious! Very easy to make pescatarian. My brother and I loved it. 10/10 recipe, I will absolutely be making this again. We ate every bite!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Ginny! I’m so happy to hear you and your brother enjoyed this recipe. Glad you made this dish pescatarian! Yay! 🙂
I love this dish but didn’t realize it’s so easy to make. Thank you!!
Thank you Lea! Hope you enjoy the recipe!