Kyoto-Style Zoni
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz. small taro satoimo, peeled, rubbed with salt, rinsed, and kept in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration until ready to cook
- 3 ½ oz. carrots peeled and cut into thick rounds
- 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms optional, stems cut, with a criss-cross incision made on the cap
- 4 ½ cups dashi fish stock*
- 2 tablespoons white miso fermented soybean paste, or more if you like it very sweet
- 8 mochi cakes
- Fresh trefoil or parboiled spinach optional
- To garnish:
- A few slivers of yuzu Japanese citron peel
- A handful of dried bonito flakes
Instructions
- Boil the taro, carrots, and mushrooms (if you decide to use them) in the dashi stock for roughly 10 minutes, until soft enough to be pierced with a toothpick.
- Take a few tablespoons of the hot stock out of the pot and combine with the miso in a small bowl. When thoroughly blended, incorporate back into the soup.
- Meanwhile toast the mochi until they begin to swell. Then add them to the soup, swirl around until warmed, and turn off the heat.
- To serve, pour the soup into four deep bowls, making sure there are two mochi in the middle of each bowl. At the last moment, add any greens, and top with a sliver or two of yuzu peel and a sprinkling of bonito flakes. Serve immediately.
Notes
How to make Konbu Dashi Stock:
Take a 6-inch piece of kelp (konbu), wipe lightly with a damp cloth and put into a pot with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil and remove kelp. Add a generous 3/4 cup of dried bonito shavings (katsuobushi) and boil for one minute. Turn off heat and after 2 minutes, strain.