Tachibana Soup

I launched 2009 in the kitchen, making a batch of Tachibana soup, more traditionally known as Ozoni. Ozoni is a hot soup eaten on New Year's day that contains mochi (steamed sticky rice that has been pounded and formed into rice cakes). Each region of Japan has their own variation of this soup and each family their own special take.

The Tachibana family soup is started with a kombu (seaweed) stock, which is then simmered with daikon (a large mild-mannered radish) and satoimo (known as taro root or mountain potato). Broiled tofu is then added, followed by white miso (a thick paste made from soybeans commonly used in broths and sauces). The mochi is then simmered in the soup until soft. When done each serving is topped with a big pinch of dried bonito flakes. The bonito wiggles with life in the hot steam. It is not really alive, but because the bonito is so thin and light it simply gets blown about. The first time I saw this I was more than a bit taken aback. But despite the popular misconception about Japanese cuisine, they rarely eat things that are still alive, rarely but not never. (The lobster seen below certainly had a good amount of life left in him when he hit the table.)



There is a curse that accompanies the marriage to a man whose mother is a good cook, and that curse is only strengthened when said mother comes from a country half way around the globe. Sometimes I feel that the cooking instincts I have naturally are simply contrary to success in a Japanese kitchen. Try as I might, eliciting the famed 'Oishii' (Yummy) is next to impossible for me.

Gambarimasu. ( I will do my best.)