1 c Chicken; (white meat only)
1 ts Cornstarch
1 ea Kamaboko; (fish or ham gelat
1 ea Carrot
3 ea Oriental Taro
1/2 c Dashi
1/2 ts Shoyu
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ea Spinach or Watercress
1 x Yuzu skin; (1emon or lime sk
12 ea Mochi (rice cake)
6 c Dashi
1 tb Shoyu
C T salt Gail some time ago you requested some information
about Ozoni the Japanese National Dish for New Years. There are
probably as many recipes for Zoni as there are cooks busy preparing
the dish but they are all fairly similar. Slice the chicken very thin
and sprinkle with the cornstarch. Then pound the chicken with the
back of a knife to enlarge the pieces. Boil in water for 5 minutes
Slice the Kamaboko into 6 pieces 1/4 inch thick Slice the carrot into
thin slices and after peeling the taro slice them into thin round
slices. Boil the carrots and taro in 1/2 C of dashi. When soft add
1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp shoyu. Boil the spinach or watercress in hot
water being sure to remove them from the boiling water when still
very green. Cut the greens into 1 inch lengths. Slice the Yazu into
thin strips to represent pine needles. Toast the Rice cakes. Boil 6
cups of dashi and flavor with the 1 tbs. salt and the 1 Tbs. shoyu.
Add the Kamaboko, carrots , taro and the greens. Place two pieces of
the toasted Mochi, two slices of the chicken, 1 slice of the carrot,
2 slices of taro, 1 slice of the kamaboko and a little of the greens
in each of six bowls Pour the hot soup over them and then float the
yazu needles on the top. Naturally any good Japanese family in Japan
would have had a drink of the special TOSO wine prior to the Zoni.
With the master of the house drinking first, then the mistress
followed by the children and the the servants last. This wine laced
with medicinal herbs and spices is believed to have disease
dispelling qualities and is similar to the wines served on New Years
by several other countries in the world. Fuku-cha is another
manditory item in their New Years (it is the tea of Good fortune) and
can either be green tea or seaweed tea which is served in tiny cups
with a pickled plum in each of the cups as a protection from illness
during the coming year. These formal ritualistic observances of the
New Year are becomming less common throughout Japan now that they
have had so much of the Western influence however in the rural areas
they are still followed religiously. It is a shame to see some of
these interesting observences gradually disappearing due to the
influence of the western world.
: Aloha…..Kapena FROM: THEODORE SEDGWICK
(XPST31A)
Yields
4 Servings