Zosui is a Japanese soup made with mild broth and cooked rice. It’s an excellent dish to warm you up on a chilly day and perfect for when you’re recovering from a cold or stomach bug. Since it can be made with leftover rice, it’s a speedy and easy meal to throw together. We topped our zosui with Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Ducktrap River, but you can also have it unadorned for a simple vegetarian dish.
On the Ingredients
- Dashi stock is a broth made from konbu seaweed (kelp) and bonito flakes (paper-thin dried tuna shavings). It’s the base for many Japanese dishes, including miso soup, clear broth, simmered preparations, and mixed into foods like okonomiyaki. Dashi has a mild flavor that nonetheless adds a boost of umami to a dish that is hard to substitute. It’s easy to make at home.
- Short-grain rice is shorter and rounded than long-grain varieties like basmati or jasmine. It’s stickier and starchier too, making it easy to pick up with chopsticks. Short-grain rice is the primary variety used in Japan. In the US, it is often sold as “sushi rice,” though actual sushi rice has added vinegar and sugar. It may also be marked “Nishiki rice.” You can cook short-grain rice just like long-grain in an electric rice cooker, but the process on the stovetop is very different, though quite easy. You can learn the method here.
- Shiitake mushrooms are a variety of mushrooms native to East Asia and cultivated worldwide. Shiitake is grown on the decaying wood of deciduous trees, particularly shii, a type of tree native to Japan, from which it gets its name. With a bold, earthy, umami flavor, shiitake mushrooms are often used in soups and stir-fries. They can also be used to make a vegetarian version of dashi stock (usually made with bonito fish flakes). They’re high in B vitamins and fiber. It’s possible they may help with bone health, boost immunity, and have antibacterial and antiviral effects. (Read more about the health benefits.)
Japanese Rice Soup (Zosui)
1
servings10
minutes10
minutes20
minutesZosui is a Japanese soup made with mild broth and cooked rice. It’s an excellent dish to warm you up on a chilly day and perfect for when you’re recovering from a cold or stomach bug. Since it can be made with leftover rice, it’s a speedy and easy meal to throw together. We topped our zosui with Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Ducktrap River, but you can also have it unadorned for a simple vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth OR dashi stock
pinch of salt
2 tsp tamari
5-6 medium-sized shiitake mushrooms (sliced thin)
roughly 1/4 cup julienned carrot
8oz cooked short-grain rice (leftover or fresh)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 scallion (sliced thin)
- Optional toppings
1/2 cup Smoked Sockeye Salmon (broken up)
sesame seeds
Directions
- Start by slicing the veggies, measuring the rice, breaking the salmon into smaller pieces (if using), and beating the eggs, setting them up for quick access during cooking. (If you’re using leftover rice rather than fresh, place it in a sieve and rinse the rice under cold water to remove excess starch.)
- In a small pot, bring the broth, soy sauce, and salt to a boil. Add the mushrooms and carrots, cover, and let them cook until the carrots are tender.
- Add the rice to the soup and stir to break up any clumps. Bring the soup back to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and pour the eggs over the top. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until the egg is cooked.
- Sprinkle the scallions over the top. Serve hot, either topped with smoked salmon and sesame seeds or plain.
