OOOOO! Snickers mini candy bar melting in my mouth as I search through my Halloween bag. Rushing through the mall for the best deals the day after thanksgiving, eyes fluttering shut, barley staying awake. Fast forward a month, oh the piles of smiles/presents, separating our money for church giving. Next, blowing up tangerines and roasting passerby roaches with New Years Eve sparkler bunches. Finally, the last holiday tradition of trying to slow down my chews so that I can keep the taste of ozoni in my mouth.
I can’t remember when I was too young to talk, just as I can’t remember when the tradition of having ozoni every new years day in our house started. I guess its just something you always thought was there. But, actually there was a start in Japan but I don’t know that much about that because when I asked my grandma who taught her, she replied the opposite of what I had thought. “Actually no” she told me. “Back then I had no idea of what it was. The idea of mochi in soup was so...different. I always thought mochi was supposed to be sweet!” she said laughing as she recalled this. Ever since she was small, the way to eat mochi was with kinako (soybean flour) mixed with sugar. I only learned what ozoni was when grandpas relatives introduced it to me.
Ozoni is one of the thickest soups I have ever eaten. It contains basically chicken, shiitake mushroom, mochi, chicken base and mizuna. Plus many little ingredients that make it special. Ginger, garlic, round onions, dried shrimp, and shiitake mushroom make my grandmas ozoni. After hearing all of the special things that go into making this delectable dish, I ask her how she makes it. As she explained to me I could imagine cooking boards, steam clouding the air, and oh the smell is like being full, but just having to shovel that last spoonful into your mouth.
First you must prepare everything, just as you would any other soup. So, first we soak the shiitake mushrooms for either 4 hours in cold water, or the easier way which is 1/2 hour in hot water. Then you mince the garlic & ginger. After mincing chop up chicken, onions, shrimp, and once the mushrooms are done, those too. The variation that my grandma has to make her version special is sautéing some of the ingredients. So the chicken, and shrimp along with a small amount of oil mixed with the garlic and ginger fill the pan until the chicken is brown. Then, the onions and mushrooms are mixed into the concoction. And for the soupy portion, water with chicken broth is added and is cooked for about a half hour at a simmer. Then, the best part: the mochi is added. And lastly, the iron rich- but still yummy mizuna is added.
The boneless/skinless chicken soaked in the chicken broth, the slight taste of ginger and garlic in both that and the tiny pieces of shrimp! Slurping up slivers of the long waited for shiitake mushroom, and crunching down on the fresh mizuna. Finally saving the best for last, scooping the gooey mochi with chicken and all the other ingredients sticking to it, right into my mouth. I bite into it, trying to tear off a perfect bite-sized piece.
This soup and tradition of eating it every new years was done long ago in Japan, and is very special to each and every one of us. We make our own memories that has mizuna squished into the very best parts. Many people around the world have their own versions, memories and more with this soup, and I hope to continue this tradition. As times changed so did the soup, and I hope to actually stay more true to how the older style was made, and still have the same taste bud craving ozoni that was made for me when I was a tiny asian.
