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Publisher: The Book Publishing Company © 1999 by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner ISBN: 1570670722 |
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Reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Book Publishing Company.
New Year's Stew with O-Mochi (p. 69-71)
Yield: 6 servings
Here is a vegan version of this wonderful traditional dish. Use this as a guide and feel free to add or subtract vegetables as is convenient or desirable.
Even now I do not feel right starting off the New Year without several bowls of my favorite stew.
Ingredients
- 10 to 12 dried shiitake
- 6- to 8-inch piece of konbu
- 8 cups water
- 1/4 pound enoki mushrooms
- 1/4 to 1/2 pound shimeji (oyster mushrooms)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 7 to 8 taro roots, peeled and quartered
- 1/3 cup sake
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce (preferably usu-kuchi)
- 1/2 teaspoon grated peel of yuzu or lemon
- 1 bunch spinach, rinsed well with stems trimmed
- At least twelve 2x2-inch pieces mochi (preferably more)
- 3 to 4 scallions, minced
- 2 bunches mitsuba (trefoil), page 27, chopped (optional)
Directions
Soak the shiitake and konbu in the eight cups of water in a large pot for several hours. Bring slowly to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the shiitake mushrooms and allow to cool momentarily, then trim the stems and slice the mushrooms. Reserve the stock for later.
Cut the bottoms off the enoki mushrooms to separate them into individual mushrooms or clumps of 2 or 3. Trim the bottom of the shimeji (oyster) mushrooms, and tear them apart with your hands into individual mushrooms.
In another pot, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots, taro root, sliced shiitake, stock, sake, and sea salt. Partially cover and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the soy sauce and yuzu or lemon. Adjust the seasonings.
In the meantime, blanch or steam the spinach until just wilted. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Squeeze and cut into 1-inch lengths.
Cook the mochi. Traditionally, this is done with a special broiler that is placed over your gas burner. Lacking one of these, you can easily do this in your broiler or oven at a high temperature. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the mochi pieces directly on the oven rack. In a few minutes, they will puff up greatly and become slightly browned and cracked. (Kids love to watch this.) Flip them over and cook until the other side puffs up. They are now ready. You can also achieve the same results in a broiler. Place the pieces under your broiler until completely puffed up on one side, then flip over and broil until puffy.
Put 2 to 3 pieces of mochi in each person's bowl. Place some spinach in each bowl. Pour the hot stew into each bowl, and top with chopped scallions. Devour immediately! Chew your mochi well so that you don't choke!