*  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                    ZONI (RICE CAKE SOUP)*** (XPST31A)

Recipe By     : 
Serving Size  : 4    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Ethnic                           Soups

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1       c            Chicken -- (white meat only)
   1       t            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)
 


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