Zosui is a nourishing Japanese rice soup cooked in dashi broth with vegetables and tofu. Ready in under 20 minutes, this tonyuu zosui is hearty, satisfying and the perfect comfort meal for the cooler season. (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Say hellooooo to this cold weather essential soup that will warm you right up and keep you feelin’ well & cozy.
Zosui, or Japanese rice soup is something my mom would make for my sisters and I anytime we were sick or feeling unwell. I kid you not, our colds and fevers never lasts for more than a day or two after having copious amounts of this.
What is Zosui (雑炊)?
Zōsui (雑炊) is a rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and a soup base flavoured with dashi and soy sauce. This dish is often made after hot pot (nabe) with the left over soup. Made with easy to digest ingredients, it’s known as a healing or recovery soup which is ideal for when feeling sick or to cure hangovers.
Whats the difference between Zosui and Ojiya?
I think, Ojiya (rice based soup) is more well known outside of Japan. It’s known as the Japanese version of congee or jook where the rice is cooked in broth and almost resembles a thick soup. While both zosui and ojiya both simmer rice in dashi broth, there are subtle differences between the two:
Zosui (雑炊)
- Dashi broth is flavoured only with soy sauce.
- Day old or frozen rice is rinsed first to remove excess starch.
- Cooked for a short period of time to prevent the rice from losing its shape.
Ojiya (おじや)
- Dashi broth is seasoned with soy sauce or miso paste. The flavour is much lighter and always uses water or a clear broth.
- Rice is not rinsed since we want that thick-porridge consistency.
- Cooked for a longer period of time purposely so the rice is softer and the grains of rice isn’t visible.
Ingredients & Variations
Zosui is comprised of four components:
- Dashi broth: You can use leftover hot pot broth, homemade dashi (recipe coming soon), dashi packets or dashi granules. All these options are quick and easy to make. Be sure to sure to use kombu or shiitake dashi to keep it vegan. I used soy milk for a creamier zosui but you can also use water for a lighter broth.
- Cooked rice: I like to use short grain Japanese rice but medium grain can also be used. You can use frozen rice, rice cooked from the night before or fresh rice.
- Vegetables: Shiitake mushrooms and green onions are typically added for flavour. Plus, any vegetables you have on hand.
- Protein: Any protein of your choice! Typically ground meats, fish and egg is used but to keep it vegan use tofu or natto. There are so many varieties of tofu so you can switch it up, too! Soft tofu, aburaage, smoked tofu… etc. Here, I’m using yuba which is dried bean curd and it kind of mimics cooked eggs.
This rice porridge is super customizable and a great way to use left over vegetables at the end of the week!
How to Make Zosui
This Japanese Rice Soup is incredibly easy to make and takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish:
- Dashi broth: Add soy milk (or water), kombu dashi and soy sauce to a pot and stir until simmering.
- Cook: Add the rice, mushrooms, yuba, green onions and spinach. Stir everything until well combined. Turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to let the rice soak up the broth.
- Serve: Transfer to a donabe bowl (clay pot with a lid) and serve with kimchi, green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil and any other toppings you like.
This Japanese rice soup isn’t just tummy-warming and big on flavour, but it’s also packed with nutrition which is perfect for the colder season. It’s a great healthy meal for when you’re feeling under the weather, recovering from a cold or for when you just want something quick and easy yet still delicious and hearty. I hope you try and love this cozy-wondersoup as much as we do! ♡
More delicious Japanese rice recipes:
If you recreate this Japanese Soy Milk Rice Soup recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Tonyuu Zosui (Soy Milk Rice Soup)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Japanese Soy Milk Rice Soup — a nourishing tummy warming soup made with rice, dashi broth, vegetables and tofu! Easy, healthy and ready in under 20 minutes. (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk (625ml)
- 2 tsp kombu dashi granules (8g)
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (38g // tamari for gluten free)
- 1 cup cooked Japanese short grain rice (200g)
- 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated (44g rehydrated)
- 2 sheets of yuba, rehydrated (30g rehydrated)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 cups spinach (35g)
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add the soy milk, kombu dashi and soy sauce to a small pot and stir to combine. Once the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Add the rice, mushrooms, yuba, green onions and spinach. Stir everything to combine.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot with the lid and let it rest for 5 minutes to let it thicken. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 312
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Sodium: 1167mg
- Fat: 7.1g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.9g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 43.7g
- Fiber: 6.6g
- Protein: 21.1g
- Cholesterol: 0
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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I really like this recipe. It is easy to make and requires few ingredients; I simplified it with only what I had on hand and made it even more simple and only used soy milk, cooked rice, and soy sauce, and also added in some leftover water after finishing cooking up beans. It’s a great way to use up leftover rice or to make a simple rice soup with a base that isn’t vegetable broth or coconut milk.
Yum!!
Tried it but didn’t have leftover rice so added a couple Mochi and simmered in soy milk dashi broth until they were soft then added the rest! Kids loved it!
So delicious! Added natto instead of yuba and it was *chefs kiss*
Definitely making again!
Such a warm and comforting meal, perfect for rainy days! An easy recipe and a great way to use up bits of veggies leftover in the fridge
I can never use a full carton of soy milk, so I always plan to make this soup whenever I have it on hand. For a quick meal, this is seriously so good with such a rich flavor profile! I don’t have dashi granules, so I often just use a strip of kombu instead and add in a couple of extra dried shiitake mushrooms. I haven’t found a bad combination yet of vegetables to use, it’s been good every time I make it!
This is such a comforting and forgiving recipe! I’m going to be craving this all next winter, I already know. We used a liquid dashi from kombu and dried shiitakes. For our ad ins we opted for enoki, yuba, bok choy, scallions, shiitake, and puff tofu with some chili crisp + kimchi on the side 🙂 you could really use any veggies that sound good or that you have in your fridge. This soup is SO good as cold leftovers too and super tasty with a bit of peanut sauce. We doubled the recipe just to have leftovers!
Absolutely loved this recipe! I didn’t have soy milk so I made it with almond this time around and it was still tasty ( a bit more watery than I anticipated) so I’ll be trying it again with soy to see if there are differences in consistency! Perfect for chilly days!
This is so easy to make and amazingly delicious!
My non-vegetarian boyfriend was also blown away by the robust flavors!
He said it’s exactly like the ramen broth he’s had in Okinawa😋
I’ll definitely be making more of these, and excited to try out more of Lisa’s recipes 😍
Second time making this recipe and it did not disappoint! Hearty and warming, great winter recipe for using up cooked rice and any vegetables on hand. Super yum!