Simmered in doenjang broth, summer young radish greens (yeolmu) see their stems lose the raw, grassy taste and turn tender. Rice-rinsing water makes the broth smoother than plain water would, and a small amount of chili flakes adds a mild warmth under the soybean paste.
Instead of being cut, the soft tofu is scooped in with a spoon, and it floats among the shrimp in large, tender pieces. Soup soy sauce is held back to keep the anchovy-kelp broth pale, and salt makes up the rest of the seasoning.
Thin slices of lotus root turn faintly translucent at the edges in anchovy broth while their centers stay crisp. Some of the root's starch slips into the liquid and gives the soup the slightest body. Garlic, soup soy sauce, salt, and black pepper season it lightly, leaving the lotus root's mild sweetness at the front.
Octopus and flat slices of tofu share the pot with anchovy broth seasoned with soup soy sauce and garlic, no chili, and water dropwort and green onion are laid on top. It stays on a low flame at the table for everyone to serve themselves. The octopus is most tender right when the legs curl and turn opaque, and toughens the longer it simmers.
No soy sauce and no chili go into this octopus soup; salt alone seasons it, and the broth stays clear. Once the broth returns to a boil the octopus cooks for just three minutes, and the water dropwort (minari) goes in right before the heat is turned off, wilting for about 20 seconds.
Instead of stirring chili straight into the broth, this spicy beef soup seasons each strand of shredded brisket with chili flakes, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil, so the heat clings to the meat itself. The clear brisket broth turns red as the seasoned beef simmers in it, with fernbrake (gosari, a chewy dried fern), bean sprouts, and plenty of long-cut green onion filling the bowl.
Square rice cakes go into the clear soy-seasoned broth without grilling and turn smooth outside and soft through the middle. Aichi is known for dark soybean miso, yet this New Year soup uses none, keeping the broth light in color. Mochina, a traditional green from the Owari area, looks like komatsuna but is more tender and slightly sweet. It is added only after the rice cakes soften so it stays bright. A pinch of bonito flakes is the only garnish.
Raw Italian sausage, out of its casing and crumbled, is browned first, and its fat becomes the cooking oil for the onion and garlic. When the chicken stock goes in, the brown layer on the bottom of the pot is scraped up too, carrying the sausage flavor through the whole soup. Potatoes are cut no thinner than 0.5 cm to hold their shape, and the cream is only warmed over low heat at the end.