Japan – Zosui / Ojiya

by Zayna Khan

This dish is actually a soup which is made up of rice, vegetables, and meat. This is a water-based clear soup with minimal addition of seasoning. It has a lot of solid ingredients to add to a rice soup and comes out with a liquid rice soup having many vegetables and some portion of meat into it. It is also known as ”Japanese Rice Soup”.

This dish is so easy to make like you can make it from scratch. Like if you have leftover rice, leftover vegetables, and meat, you can put all these things together with dashi and some broth, soya sauce and make this Japanese soup out of it. Seafood is very popular and loved by Japanese people so you can add fish, prawns, and shrimps to this soup to make a healthier version. This dish is a very healthy and tasty dish. You can have all the nutrients required by the body in one pot of soup. This soup is served as the appetizer, supper, and even in brunch. This is called soup because of its consistency but it has all the elements that can be added to the full course meal.

History

This soup is originated from the concept that rice can be added to miso soup for a more tasty and healthy effect. So usually leftover rice is added to miso soup but it evolves with time and this special soup is came up with more valuable elements like vegetables and meat. This meal is assumed as a healthier meal because of all the nutrients and all the main ingredients. So this soup is given to growing babies and for bodybuilding.

VARIATIONS OF JAPANESE RICE SOUP

ZOSUI

There are few varieties of zosui by different ingredients to put on and different cooking time. Main ingredient is surely rice with different meat and vegetable combination.

1.MARU ZOSUI

This is a special edition of meat source in Japanese rice soup which is ”SOFT-SHELL TURTLE”. It is a very popular seafood n Japan and China. It is added to the soup to make it richer in flavors and textures. The flavors of shell turtles are very aromatic and strong so it gives richness to the dish. Now we need to add a very little seasoning to the soup that cannot overcome the shell turtle flavors.

2.TORI ZOSUI

This is a very simple dish in which chicken is added to make it more flavorful. You can add chicken like any part of the chicken as a personal choice. In some areas, chicken liver is added to this soup that gives totally new and unique taste to the soup. Chicken is added in the following ways to this soup:

• Boiled chicken is added to the soup in shredded form.
• Fried chicken strips can be added as a crunchy effect to the soup.
• Steamed chicken with some seasoning is added on top of the soup for garnishing.
• Large pieces of chicken are added which must be boneless.

3.TAKIFUGU ZOSUI

As from the name, Takifugu is a seafood. It is also known as Hetun, Bok and Puffer fish. This is very special ingredient to be added into soup. This is very flavorful and soft meat which gives any dish the soothing and palatable effect.

4.KANI ZOSUI

Kani zosui is the Japanese rice soup which is made up from Crab meat. After rice crab is the main element of the dish which gives new flavors and new taste to the dish.

5.SHABU-SHABU ZOSUI

This dish is very different from the usual soups. Thinly sliced cut meat and some sauteed vegetables are served along with the rice soup. Now you can add whatever you want to add in your soup.

6.SUKIYAKI ZOSUI

Sukiyaki means to serve in a ”HOTPOT STYLE”. This is like same as shabu shabu. There is a difference like you have to cook you soup with your favourite ingredients on the dinning table and spcies, ingredients are totally yours.

OJIYA

Ojiya is a word that can be interchangeable with zosui but the only difference in these two dishes is the point at which ojiya is cooked. OJIYA is derived from the word OLLA.

• The difference between Zosui and Ojiya is that Ojiya has rice that is not sticky one, on the other hand, we have more sticky rice used in Zosui soups and Japanese rice soups.
• We cook Zosui with broth and rice together while Ojiya is cooked by cooking rice separate from the broth and then combine them together.
• Ojiyais milder in adding seasonings like soya sauce that has a lighter version and Zosui is more towards the flavors.

OLLA

Olla is a Ceramic jar which is used to cook Soups, broths and stews in it. Olla is also known as Roman pots which is used in cooking dishes like more towards the soup and stew types.

JUSHI

Jushi is originated from the ‘‘OKINAWA CUISINE”. Okinawa is a cuisine from Japanese perfecture which is ‘‘RYUKYUAN KINGDOM”. It is not different from the Zosui but they used uncooked rice to add into the broth and cook rice completely in the broth with seasonings and other elements. They would love to add mutton ribs in this dish and more towards the vegetables like siitake, tofu, mushrooms, sake, etc.

NUTRIENTS REQUIRED

• Calories = 135
• Fat = 2.4 grams
• Carbohydrates = 22 grams
• Protein = 5.5 grams
• Sodium = 150 miligrams
• Pottasium = 88 miligrams

INGREDIENTS

• Dashi broth = 4 cups
• Soya sauce = 4 tablespoons
• Rice vinegar = 2 tablespoons
• sake = 2 tablespoons
• Kosher salt = 1/2 teaspoons
• Sesame oil= 4 tablespoons
• Rice = 1 cup ( cooked before )
• Chicken = 200 grams ( boneless )

Vegetables

• Carrots = 1/2 cup
• corns = 1/4 cup
• Mushrooms = 1/2 cup
• Tofu = 1/4 cup
• Scallions = 1/4 cup

COOKING DIRECTIONS

• Take oil in the cooking pot and add chicken into it.
• Now add dashi broth with all the seasonings like soya sauce, kosher salt, sake, rice vinegar into it and cook the chicken for 10 minutes until it tendered.
• After chicken, add vegetables into the broth with rice and cook them together.
• Cook all the things together, when cooked serve it with scallions.
• Enjoy 🙂