Spinach with sesame paste

Ingriedents: bunch of spinach, Tablespoons sesame paste (neri-goma), 1/2 teaspoon sugar, Tablespoons soy-sauce, a little sake.

How to make: First wash spinach in a bowl of water and rinse. if the stem is thick cut an X through the bottom. Second in a lot of boilng water add a pinch of salt, boil spinach standing up, push down as roots soften, boil for 1 min. Third strain, wash with cold water soon. Then squeeze excess water by lightly wringing with the all stems together, cut into 3-cm length pieces. After that grind sesame seeds. Next mix sugar and soy-sauce with ground sesame, add a little sake. Finally mix together with spinach.

Rice

How to cook: Wash rice 30 minutes prior to cooking. First add rice to a large bowl full of water. Rice bran will be easy to remove by doing this. Second mix 2 or 3 times, discarding whitish water quickly to avoid bran odor. Third Wash rice in clockwise circular motion. Press down on rice once then discard water. Repeat 3 or 4 times. Strain rice, let it sit for 30 minutes. Then put rice in rice cooker. Add approximately 1.2 cups of water per cup of rice depending of desired firmness of rice.

Zoni

Ingredients: Pieces of cut mochi, chicken leg meat, bunch komatsuna, 3-4 cm carrots, 3 cups of dashi (ichiban dashi), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon usukuchi (light flavored) soy sauce, yuzu (citron).

How to make: First, mix and heat up dashi, salt and soy sauce. Second, wash komatsuna, boil stems down, cut into 3 cm pieces. Third, divide meat into 4 pieces. Then lightly peel carrots. In intervals cut 5 triangular pieces out of the carrot lengthwise. Slice into 7-8 mm flower-shaped pieces. After that grill mochi on broiler net until toasted and inside is puffy. Finally gently pour dashi over mochi, meat, and komatsuna and carrots. Garnish with yuzu peel.

Zoni is traditional Japanese food. We eat it first day of the year.