Name: Tamago Zosui
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 350ml dashi; 350ml chicken or vegetable stock (homemade or good shop bought); 300g (2 cups) cooked rice; 1 small clove garlic, finely chopped; 1cm/half inch ginger, sliced thinly or grated; half a carrot, cut into little cubes; a handful shiitake (mushrooms), sliced; salt and ground white pepper; 1 egg, lightly beaten; Tamari or light soy sauce; Garnish; 1 spring onion, sliced diagonally; a small piece of Nori, crumbled (optional); small handful of katsuobushi (optional)

Tamago Zosui

Zosui (Zōsui) and its counterpart, Okayu, are the Japanese equivalent of the Italian risotto or the Chinese congee, however, if you were to categorise it, it belongs firmly in the soup category! Both are comfort foods, perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather; the difference is Okayu is more porridge like in consistency.

Zosui is the personification of the Japanese practice of Mottainai – waste nothing! This is an especially favourite way of using up the stock left over from Nabe (Hotpot), because after all the meat and vegetables are gone, what’s left behind is a gloriously flavoured broth that has been “created” with everything that was cooked in it previously. So as a final course to a Nabe meal, adding rice or even udon, is the perfect way to go.

You don’t have to have a hotpot going to enjoy this, having some dashi is ideal but even just regular stock will do very nicely. I always have some fresh dashi at home, either in the fridge or the freezer and if you’d like to know how to make it (very easy!), just click here.

It really is up to you how richly flavoured you’d like it to be, if starting from just dashi or stock, some garlic and ginger will certainly not go amiss.

The recipe here is a simple version, with leftover rice, some shiitake, carrots and finished off with egg (tamago). You can add some cooked chicken, seafood or more vegetables, to each his own!

How to Cook Perfect Tamago Zosui

Dashi – if you don’t have/don’t want to make dashi, use stock in its place, making a total of 700ml.

Rice – being a Japanese recipe, the rice ought to be sushi rice, but don’t fret, whatever cooked rice you have at home will work too.

Consistency – The longer you cook it, the drier and more porridge like it will be. 20 – 30 minutes, stop at the point you’re happy with. I like a more porridge like consistency.

Nori – roasted seaweed, the green wrap you see on sushi, great crumbled and used as topping for so much, a staple in our house.

Katsuobushi – thinly shaved flakes of dried and smoked bonito, used as a topping on a lot of Japanese food, like Okonomiyaki. Again, a staple in our house.

Tamago Zosui

Rate this recipe

18 ratings

Prep Time:

10 minutes

Cook Time:

30 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Ingredients

350ml dashi
350ml chicken or vegetable stock (homemade or good shop bought)
300g (2 cups) cooked rice
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1cm/half inch ginger, sliced thinly or grated
half a carrot, cut into little cubes
a handful shiitake (mushrooms), sliced
salt and ground white pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Tamari or light soy sauce

Garnish

1 spring onion, sliced diagonally
a small piece of Nori, crumbled (optional)
small handful of katsuobushi (optional)

Instructions

Bring the dashi and stock to boil in a medium saucepan on high heat.
Add the cooked rice, garlic, ginger, carrots and shiitake and bring back to boil.
Reduce the heat right down and simmer for 20 -30 minutes, until it reaches the consistency you like.
Add a pinch of salt and a dash of white pepper and stir them in. At this point, you can also add some soy sauce if you think it needs it (taste it).
Add the beaten egg in, swirl it around a little, cook for 10 seconds more and turn the heat off. You want the egg a little wispy.

Dishing Up