An easy spin on Miso...

So, to counter my devilish New Years recipe, I thought I would offer something lighter and healthier.

Ozoni is a traditional breakfast/brunch food fed to Japanese families on New Years Day. It has a history of being served to the elite in historic Japan - offered to Samurais and royalty alike. Today, commoners and elite share in the tradition as it is served in the hopes of bringing prosperity all year long. As a point of interest, many New Year's Day foods are served in Japan for reasons other than taste.

However, my reasons are found in the flavor. It's similar to miso, but has more vegetables. Moreover, it is often served with an un-sweet mochi that I just LOVE. I also have a bit of a confession - while I love the stuff on New Years, I usually get on a kick and make this throughout the colder months of January and February. It's simple, and fast. Now, I will admit that this is not traditional - but it is adopted from a family friend of Japanese ancestry. I say adopted because some of the "traditional" vegetables are hard for me to come by, and I don't add the chicken. Here's the "available in Florida" recipe (and I'll point out where the chicken comes in):

Ozoni Soup:

Per 3 cups of water in a pot (double and triple as necessary), add 1 teaspoon dashi, and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Bring to a boil in a pot big enough to add the following vegetables (pick and choose with your tastes) -

mushrooms (shittake - but I cheated and added baby portobellos)
scallions
julienned carrots
Daikon (Japanese radish)
Napa Cabbage
And really just about any other kind of vegetable that suits your fancy.

Now, if you want to add chicken, you should add and boil for about an hour BEFORE the vegetables - until the chicken is completely falling apart and easily broken up into pieces. If you're making this for a crowd,I see nothing wrong with making a whole chicken. But, if you're making it for a few, feel free to add a breast or a couple of thighs.

Let cook to desired tenderness (I let mine just barely Blanche, as I like crunchy veggies).

Serve as it is, or with savory mochi. To cook mochi, you can boil (my usual choice) or grill. I have to warn you, this is a very difficult ingredient to find online. You want to find a Japanese food store. The mochi pieces are shelf-stable, individually wrapped, and very hard. It has no bean paste inside, just plain mochi. If you're really stuck, and you want the full experience, ask the store owner for mochi used for ozoni. Otherwise, you can easily (and authentically) substitute tofu or serve with nothing at all!

I also should add that traditional ozoni is served with kamaboko, which is a difficult ingredient for me to find. If you can manage it - it should be included for authenticity!

And, just because I hate to leave you here without at least the knowledge of TRUE Ozoni (as in, made from someone who has had the recipe handed down to them), here are some links:

http://www.champuru.net/blog/2008/12/31/easy-ozoni-recipe/

http://1tess.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/ozoni-new-years-day-soup/

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/12/29/ozoni.soup/

Happy and healthy 2009!

Happy 2009, everyone!

What does this old, beaten down, cookbook........and these bags of vegetables have in common?
Well, first you must need to know a little about my personal history.

I was born, what seems to be getting longer and longer ago, in Alaska. Around the age of 7 (which is when we relocated) my parents must have decided our family needed something besides what we were being afforded in this very cold state. They subsequently packed all our things, put them on a barge, and flew the whole family to our new home: Honolulu, Hawaii.

I lived there until I was 14 when my parents moved us to the "mainland" - Portland, Oregon. The years in Hawaii shaped my culinary attitude so much more than I am even aware of. Sashimi and sushi doesn't really seem like a delicacy - it seems like it should be part of an every day diet (although living in Florida, I have accepted the former). Words like poki and musubi peak my interest, and you haven't LIVED until you've tried local Ice Cream Mochi.

But I digress...

Those familiar with Japanese culture, know how important the New Year holiday is. Those of you that know Hawaii, know how integrated Japanese culture is (among others). With that said, I need to admit that my family didn't really celebrate the New Year until we moved to Oregon. That was when we became good friends with a family whose matriarch has Japanese Ancestry and was also relocated from the islands. For my entire high school career (and a bit beyond) I recall eating over there every New Years Day. When I moved to Florida, this same matriarch shared a few things with me so I could recreate the holiday in my own home.

In the past, New Years Day has included: shoyu chicken, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon, rice, sashimi, Kalua pork, sushi, ozoni, butter mochi, fermented black beans, and a few other items I know I am missing...and probably mispelling. At home in Florida, I did most of those same items - except for the black beans. But THIS year, trying to avoid meat as much as possible, I was stuck. Shoyu chicken can't be vegetarian - neither can chicken long rice, lomi salmon, or Kalua Pork. Those are some mainstays in the feast!

But sushi...well sushi can be anything I want it to be. And mochi is still safe. Thus our "new" New Years was invented:

Veggie, California, and Spicy Tempeh sushi rolls (last one is from Veganomicon)
Vegetarian Chop Chey (Korean noodle dish)
Salad with ginger dressing.
Butter and Regular Mochi
Coconut cupcakes adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

For breakfast, we do Okinawan doughnuts.

For lunch, we will still do a version of Onozi, made without the chicken. I still have to use Dashi, but as we did for Christmas, all land animals have been eliminated.

Now, none of this has answered the questions posed above.

The bags contain the vegetables I pre-chopped for tomorrow's holiday and pre-mixed dry ingredients. It took well over an hour, so I'm glad I got that done ahead of time.

The cookbook is from the elementary school I attended in Hawaii. My mother gave it to me a number of years ago, and it is very "local" in it's flavor. Recipes passed down from generations are in there, and as such, it is one of my most treasured cookbooks. You can't buy that thing in stores. I can't replace it - but when I need a recipe that is "local" in flavor and authenticity - THAT is where I turn. So naturally, that contains some of the recipes I plan on using tomorrow.

You will notice that I don't have any of them posted here, now. I can't give you EVERYTHING in one post, can I? Moreover, I don't have any yummy pictures to post right now either. So...hold tight. I will be sharing them. But I do need fodder for the blog in the coming month!

In the mean time, cuddle up next to someone you love tonight (I plan on doing so), and have a fantastic evening. From my kitchen to yours - I hope 2009 brings nothing but the best!