Japanese Rice Soup Porridge

Quick answer

Total time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Zosui is a loose rice porridge that briefly simmers rinsed cooked rice and enoki in dashi, then sets one beaten egg into soft ribbons at the end.

Rinse 1.5 cups cooked rice once under cold water and drain it well. This removes loose surface starch that would otherwise cloud the broth. Trim the base from 80 g enoki mushrooms and separate the strands. Pour 700 ml dashi into a pot and warm it over medium heat. When small bubbles form around the edge, keep the heat from rising to a hard boil. Add the enoki and simmer for about 2 minutes, moving on once the strands soften slightly and their aroma reaches the broth. Add the rinsed rice and cook over medium-low heat for 6 minutes. Stir the bottom only occasionally, enough to prevent sticking while the grains absorb broth and soften. Season with 1 tbsp soy sauce and the measured salt, keeping the dashi recognizable. Beat 1 egg and pour it around the pot in a thin circle. Wait 30 seconds before moving it, then stir gently so the egg forms distinct, tender ribbons instead of dispersing and clouding the soup. Add 1 tbsp chopped green onion and transfer the zosui to bowls immediately while the broth and rice are hot.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

cooked rice1½ cupcup

dashi stock700 mlml

egg1 eaea

soy sauce1 tbsptbsp

enoki mushrooms80 gg

green onion1 tbsptbsp

salt¼ tsptsp

Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Heat

Rinse 1.5 cups of cooked rice once under cold water, then drain well so the broth stays clean.

Trim the base from 80 g enoki mushrooms and loosen the strands before they go into the pot.
2

Finish

Pour 700 ml dashi stock into a pot and heat it over medium heat.

When small bubbles appear around the edges, keep it from boiling too hard so the finished porridge stays clear and gentle.
3

Control

Add the enoki mushrooms and simmer for about 2 minutes.

Move on when the strands soften slightly and the broth has taken on their delicate aroma, but do not cook them until limp.
4

Control

Add the rinsed rice and simmer over medium-low heat for about 6 minutes.

Stir the bottom occasionally so the grains absorb the broth and soften without sticking or breaking down too much.
5

Season

Season with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 0.25 teaspoon salt, then taste the broth.

Keep the seasoning light so the dashi remains the main flavor, adding no extra salt unless it tastes flat.
6

Finish

Beat 1 egg, pour it in a thin circle, and wait 30 seconds before stirring.

Stir only gently to form soft ribbons, then add 1 tablespoon green onion and serve right away while hot.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Zosui concentrates dashi umami as leftover rice absorbs the broth before being set with soft egg.
Finish cue: Stir only gently to form soft ribbons, then add 1 tablespoon green onion and serve right away while hot.
Avoid this: Move on when the strands soften slightly and the broth has taken on their delicate aroma, but do not cook them until limp.
Substitution: Wait 30 seconds before moving it, then stir gently so the egg forms distinct, tender ribbons instead of dispersing and clouding the soup.