"ToL" Original Recipe: Ozōni, Version 2

Ozōni Recipe, Version 2 (Inspired by my aunt's mother-in-law)

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic chicken thighs, minced

• 1 organic carrot, peeled and medium diced

• 1 organic gobō (burdock root), peeled and medium diced

• 1 cup sliced organic dried shiitake mushrooms

• 1 package shirataki noodles, rinsed

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Soup Base

• 5 cups purified water

• ¼ cup kome shōyu (rice-based shōyu)

• ¼ cup sake

• ¼ cup mirin

• 1 tablespoon organic raw sugar

• Garlic powder, to taste

• Ginger powder, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

Optional Toppings & Ingredients

• ½ cup mizuna (Japanese mustard greens)

• ½ cup shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves)

• 1 cup cooked soba (buckwheat noodles)

Cooking Instructions

1. Add water and chicken thighs to a pot.

2. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 30–40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Skim chicken fat that rises to the surface.

4. Add carrot, gobō, shiitake mushrooms, and shirataki. Simmer for 10–15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

5. Add sake, gluten-free rice shōyu, mirin, sugar, garlic powder, and ginger powder. Stir well and bring back to a gentle boil.

6. Boil mochi separately in another pot with water and some of the soup base until the mochi is soft and floats to the top.

7. Place one piece of mochi into each bowl and ladle soup and ingredients over it.

8. Add optional toppings if using and serve warm.

Cheers!

Gini x

25 January 2026