Tamago Zosui
卵雑炊·(tamago zōsui)
O-kaze: When the Body Needs Healing
Two in the morning in a dark kitchen. When a Japanese kid wakes up with a 101-degree fever, this is what appears. Tamago Zosui is an elemental bowl of dashi, rice, and egg, warm steam rising off the spoon. The trick that separates pristine soup from a murky bowl of mush? A ten-second rinse of day-old short-grain rice under the tap to strip away surface starch. Let the dashi simmer. Add a splash of Kikkoman soy sauce. Swirl the egg. Pour it in a mug and go back to sleep.
Ingredients
- water2 1/2 cup
- instant dashi powder1 1/2 tsp
- Japanese soy sauce1 tbsp
- sake1 tsp
- kosher salt1/4 tsp
- Japanese short-grain or medium-grain rice1 1/2 cup
- eggs2 large
- green onions2 med
- umeboshi2 med
- shredded nori1 pinch
Method
- 01
Rinse the cold rice.
Place the cooked rice in a fine-mesh sieve and run it under cold water for 10 to 15 seconds, using your fingers to separate clumps. The water will turn milky white as the surface starch washes away; shake off the excess and set aside.
- 02
Build the broth.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, instant dashi, soy sauce, sake, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and taste for seasoning.
- 03
Simmer the rice.
Add the rinsed rice to the hot broth, stirring gently so no grains stick to the bottom. Lower the heat to maintain a steady, gentle simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the rice is heated through.
- 04
Execute the egg swirl.
With the soup at a gentle simmer, slowly drizzle the beaten eggs in a thin, steady stream around the pot. Do not stir. Let the heat set the egg into soft, structural ribbons for exactly 20 to 30 seconds.
- 05
Fold and serve.
Gently run a spoon through the pot once or twice to fold the egg, then immediately kill the heat. Ladle into deep bowls and top with the sliced green onions, torn umeboshi, and shredded nori.
Notes
Ojiya vs. Zosui.
If you have a severe sore throat and want a thicker, porridge-like texture that goes down easier, simply skip washing the rice. This starchier, cloudy version is traditionally known as Ojiya.
The zero-waste hot pot.
If you ever make a Japanese hot pot (nabe) for dinner, always save the leftover broth. Bringing that highly concentrated, umami-rich liquid to a boil and adding rinsed rice and a beaten egg is the ultimate expression of this dish.
From Cook Japanese in America.