At my in-laws’ house, it is customary to begin the new year with a steaming bowl of ozoni. It should be the first thing to hit your stomach on new year’s day. Mom-in-law says it’s good luck. I don’t know whether it’s good luck or not, but it sure tastes good. She makes a simplified version of this traditional soup and I’ll share the recipe with you so you can begin your own ozoni tradition for your family!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 cans of chicken broth
1 can of Hokkigai (surf clam) - chopped
1 kamaboko fishcake - sliced
1 bunch of mizuna - coarsely chopped
mochi
shoyu to taste

In a large pot on medium heat, simmer chicken broth and liquid from Hokkigai. Add chopped Hokkigai clams, sliced fishcake, coarsely chopped mizuna and a few dashes of shoyu to taste. Finally, add the mochi. (If your mochi is dusted with mochiko, it’s a good idea to rinse it before adding to the soup to prevent the broth from thickening too much.) Cook on medium heat until mochi is soft. Serve and enjoy!

NOTES:
* I usually put no more than 4 large mochi in the pot at a time to prevent them from sticking together and becoming one huge clump of mochi.
* Depending on how hungry your family is, you can always add more chicken broth and mochi to stretch the recipe.

In case you’re not familiar with some of the ingredients, here are some photos.

Hokkigai (surf clams) come in a can and can be found in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. Just a warning, they are quite expensive. This year, one can cost me $15.77 at Don Quijote. Mom-in-law saw them selling for $23 at Star Market, so it pays to shop around.

Below is what the clams look like before chopping.

Red and white kamaboko fishcake

Sliced kamaboko

Mizuna (Japanese mustard greens) has a very mild flavor

Shoyu (I use Aloha Shoyu exclusively, the low-sodium variety)

Mochi

If your mochi is dusted with mochiko, be sure to rinse the mochi before putting in your soup. Otherwise, it will cause the soup to be too thick.

Serve and enjoy!

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