🍚 Kabu Zou-ni (Turnip Rice Cake Soup)

"O-Zou-ni," or simply “Zou-ni”, an essential New Year's dish, varies significantly in regional characteristics, and the ingredients and preparation methods differ from household to household. For example, in eastern Japan, particularly beyond the boundaries of Toyama, Gifu, and Aichi prefectures, it is common to use grilled square shaped mochi (rice cake), while in western Japan, there is a tendency to boil round mochi. In eastern Japan, a clear dashi (Japanese soup stock) is often used, while in Kyoto, Nara, Kagawa, and other places, it is seasoned with white miso. In Okinawa, there is no tradition of eating "Zou-ni." In Yamaguchi prefecture, there are variations depending on the region and household, but generally, the popular style of "Zou-ni" involves round mochi in a clear soy-based dashi (Japanese soup stock). "Kabu Zou-ni," widely consumed throughout Yamaguchi prefecture, particularly in cities like Hagi, is a simple regional dish made with round mochi, kabu (turnips), and trefoil as ingredients. Because the rice cake is added without baking, the soup thickens a little. Adding thinly sliced surume (dried squid), lightly tied in the soup, enhances the aroma and appearance of the soup. In the Hagi region, rice cake pounding was the role of men, although this custom has decreased in recent years. At the end of the year, the men of the household would steam glutinous rice and pound rice cakes with a mortar and pestle, while the women would do the cleaning and prepare New Year's dishes. The rice cakes were offered to the gods and Buddha and decorated the New Year's table as “Zou-ni."