Tokyo Style Ozoni Recipe
Ozoni (お雑煮) is a traditional Japanese New Year’s dish made with rice cakes and seasonal vegetables served in a hot, comforting soup. There are countless regional variations of Ozoni across Japan, and Tokyo has its own distinctive style for celebrating the New Year.
What’s Tokyo Style Ozoni?
Ozoni varies widely by region and even by household in Japan, but it is generally divided into two main styles: miso-flavored and soy sauce-flavored. In western Japan, though not every area, miso-based Ozoni is more common, while in eastern Japan, a clear soup seasoned with soy sauce is preferred.
During the Muromachi period, when Kyoto was the capital of Japan, the aristocracy considered Ozoni made with round rice cakes and miso to be a dish of hospitality served on special occasions. In Edo (present-day Tokyo), Ozoni was originally prepared with miso as well. However, as soy sauce production developed and became widespread in eastern Japan, Edo-style Ozoni gradually evolved into a clear, soy sauce-flavored soup.
Tokyo-style Ozoni features a light and refreshing broth made with Ichiban Dashi, combining Kombu (kelp) and Katsuobushi (bonito flakes). It typically includes grilled square rice cakes, along with ingredients such as chicken, komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) or spinach, naruto (fish cake with a swirl pattern), shiitake mushrooms, and more. While the appearance differs from other regional Ozoni, the most notable distinction is in the flavor.
Mirin plays an important role in Tokyo-style Ozoni. Adding mirin gives the soup a gentle richness and a subtle sweetness that softens the savory notes of the dashi and soy sauce. This delicate sweetness is often considered a signature flavor of eastern Japan.
A small but lovely finishing touch for Tokyo-style Ozoni is adding Yuzu citrus peel just before serving. Its bright citrus aroma truly captures the scent of winter in Japan, and we hope you are able to find Yuzu when you make this soup.
We also have many recipes for Osechi Ryori (New Year dishes) in our video library if you feel like trying them. And if you’d rather take it easy on New Year’s Day, simply making a bowl of Tokyo-style Ozoni is more than enough to make the start of the year feel warm, delicious, and special.
Other dishes from Osechi Ryori
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Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 bunch spinach
- 4 Shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 carrot (thick)
- 2 chicken thighs
- 8 slices Naruto fishcake (or Kamaboko fishcake)
- 1 Yuzu (optional)
- 4 Mochi (rectangular)
Soup
- 4 cups water
- Kombu (dried kelp, 4"x 4" (10 cm x 10 cm))
- 2 handful Katusobushi (dried bonito flakes)
- 1/4 tsp salt (adjust the amount to taste)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sake
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Mirin
Instructions
- Blanch spinach in boiling water for a minute. Strain, and squeeze out water once it has cooled. Cut into 2" (5 cm) lengths. Set aside.
- Cut carrot into 1/2" thick rounds, then cut with a flower-shaped cookie cutter . Remove stems of Shiitake mushrooms, and cut out the top of the mushrooms to form a star design (please watch the video). Cut chicken into large bite-size pieces. Slice Naruto fishcake into 1/4" thick (6 mm). Slice just yellow part of skin from Yuzu, and cut very thinly. Set all aside.
- Make the soup. Put water in a pot, add Kombu, and start heating over low heat. Just before boiling, remove Kombu. Add Katsuobushi, and leave for a minutes. Strain out the Katsuobushi, and then add the remaining of the seasonings for the soup.
- Add prepared carrot, mushrooms, and chicken to the soup. Let simmer so that the vegetables and meat are cooked through. Remove any scum coming up to the surface of the soup. Keep it warm at low heat.
- Meanwhile, bake the Mochi in a toaster oven for about 5 minutes until it expands and turns golden brown.
- Add Naruto fishcake in the soup in the end and let it warm for a minute.
- Place Mochi in soup bowls, divide up all the vegetables and meat, and pour the soup over. Top with Spinach and Yuzu skin. Serve immediately.
