NEW YEAR MISO SOUP WITH RICE CAKE
- 8 mochi rice cakes
- 4 raw chicken breast halves, boned, trimmed, and sliced into thin strips
- 8 cups Japanese Soup Stock (dashi)
- 6 tablespoons white miso
- 4 slender leeks or negi, white part only, sliced very finely on the diagonal
Instructions:
Planning to serve this soup with those lovely Asian ceramic spoons? Be my guest, but you’ll be breaching Japanese etiquette.Besides, it really is easier to consume this sometimes dangerously sticky soup by delicately picking up that gooey mochi and other tasty bits to eat and nibble with chopsticks, then drinking the broth straight from the bowl. Not to scare you, but every New Year, a number of elderly Japanese over-estimate how much mochi they can eat at a bite and suffer the consequences of choking on it.
- TO PREPARE
- Broil the mochi cakes in a metal pan under a hot broiler on all sides, turning with tongs, until the cakes are crisp and brown, but not burnt. Remove from the heat, pierce with a fork, and set aside.
-  Prep the remaining ingredients as directed in the recipe list.
- TO COOK
- Dip the chicken strips into salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain, discarding the broth or using it for another purpose.
- Bring the dashi to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the chicken pieces and simmer until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Put the miso into a small bowl and whisk 1 cup of hot dashi into it until well blended. Pour back into the soup, bring just to a boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat.
- TO SERVE
- Place a broiled rice cake in the bottom of each of eight bowls, then ladle the soup over them, evenly distributing the chicken pieces. Top with slivered leek, cover the bowls with lids, and serve immediately.