Regardless of the season, I always welcome a comforting, healthy soup. If you’re like me, this Japanese Rice Soup called Zosui (雑炊) is for you! You’ll need only minimal ingredients, which can be any leftover scraps of vegetables or mushrooms in the refrigerator. Ready in less than 30 minutes, this bowl of warm rice soup will instantly reenergize and restore your energy.
What is Zosui?
Zōsui (雑炊) is a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and dashi broth that’s seasoned with soy sauce. Some may describe it as the Japanese version of congee, except Zosui is more robust in texture. The rice grains are intact while submerged in the soup broth. It is generally served to those who are sick or under the weather. Therefore, Zosui is often cooked with simple and easy-to-digest ingredients, such as a small amount of vegetables, mushrooms, and eggs. If you want to make it more hearty, you can add protein like meat and seafood as I did in this recipe. It can also be totally vegan by using kombu dashi and vegan-friendly ingredients. Zosui is not a common restaurant menu, but some places offer it at the end of a hot pot meal as an option. The restaurant staff will make it right at the table by reusing leftover soup from the hot pot. It’s an instant fill-me-up kind of dish.
What is the Difference between Zosui vs. Ojiya?
If you’re familiar with Japanese food, you may have heard of Ojiya (おじや), another popular rice-based soup during the cold season. Since rice is simmered in a dashi broth in both dishes, Zosui and Ojiya have a lot in common. Many people use the words Ojiya and Zosui interchangeably, and the usage varies by region and household. However, there are some common differences between them:
Zosui (雑炊)
Cooked rice is rinsed under water first to remove excess starch. It does not get cooked too long so the shape of the rice is retained. The broth is seasoned only with soy sauce.
Ojiya (おじや)
Rice is never rinsed. Ojiya can be cooked for a longer time and the rice can be mushy (and no visible shape of the rice). The broth is seasoned with miso or soy sauce, but not overly flavored.
Ingredients for Japanese Rice Soup
Dashi broth – Unlike chicken broth or vegetable broth, dashi can be made pretty quickly, even from scratch. In this recipe, I used a dashi packet, which makes it even easier but tastes a lot better than an instant dashi powder. And if you happen to have some leftover hot pot broth, you can definitely use it to make Zosui. Vegetables – I used green onions and carrots today. Mushrooms – I used shiitake mushrooms. Eggs Chicken or whatever that’s available in your refrigerator. Cooked rice – Most Japanese keep the leftover rice frozen, and here’s how to store cooked rice.
How to Make the Best Zosui
Vegan-Friendly Zosui Ingredients
Zosui is super flexible and easily customizable, and you can make it any way you like. You can use any veggies, but here are some additions for vegan/vegetarian zosui:
Tofu – silken tofu, aburaage (fried tofu pouch), or atsuage (thick fried tofu) Japanese mushrooms – shiitake, shimeji, maitake, enoki, king oyster Vegan-friendly kimchi Umeboshi Natto Wakame seaweed Shredded nori (kizami nori) Soy milk – this makes the dish tonyuu zosui (豆乳雑炊). It has a creamy and sweet flavor and makes a delicious rendition for vegans or vegetarians.
Believe it or not, this Japanese Rice Soup takes less than 30 minutes to cook! It’s not only warm and delicious, but it’s also full of nutrition to give us the strength to recover from sicknesses.
Other Comforting Rice Dishes
Okayu (Japanese Rice Porridge) Ochazuke (Tea Over Rice) Takikomi Gohan (Mixed Rice)
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