First you grill some mochi rice cakes. Just toss three or four of them into the toaster oven. Everyone probably likes it to be a different level of crispy, but at the time, I liked the surface of the mochi to be ever-so-lightly browned.
Then you make some miso soup. You can carefully dissolve the miso paste and chop up all the ingredients for some more authentic miso soup. But if you think that’s too much of hassle, you can just use the instant packets. But if you go with instant, make sure to buy the slightly more expensive stuff. The ones that come with a good amount of stuff in the soup as well. The instant miso they have these days is really good. Just a bit of hot water is enough to make a really tasty soup.
Anyway, now that you have your mochi and your miso soup in front of you, next comes the final step.
Just throw them both in the same pot. This step doesn’t require any complicated techniques. Just stir it up a bit and shake a bit of shichimi seasoning or red pepper seasoning or whatever you like, and then you’re done.
I call it grilled miso zoni. It’s the best way to eat zoni, the Japanese miso dish served on New Year’s. And it’s delicious 365 days a year!
The key is to grill the mochi, not boil it in the soup, and to make sure to use a full-flavored miso instead of a clear broth. Don’t just make zoni because it’s New Year’s. The real essence of zoni can only be grasped if you incorporate it into your daily life.
Now, then. Why have I thrown this in here like so much grilled mochi in miso soup? The reason is simple—at present, my stomach is rumbling, and I am very hungry.
I want to eat something sizable. But cooking something elaborate is far too much of a bother. And I’d like to avoid going outside on this cold winter night if I can help it. So, I went to the kitchen to see if I could rustle up something. And—wouldn’t you know it—staring up at me was mochi that I had left over from New Year’s and some expensive instant miso I got from work a while ago.
At times like this, there’s only one thing to do: throw guilt and morality to the wind and have myself a little zoni party!
In any case, on to the acknowledgments.
This volume was made possible thanks to the support of countless people.
A big thanks to the editing, proofreading, and book design staff, as well as the operations and advertising staff that helped with this book. And more than anything, I’d like to thank Kakao Lanthanum for the wonderful illustrations that really make this story come alive. Every time I see them, I feel grateful for having been born.
I’m also pleased to say that this story will continue in the next volume. With every new volume, the number of revisions I add to the story grows. By the next volume, I think about half of the material will be original to the light novel. Talk about exciting. I’m currently hard at work writing.
Will Jupiter be able find happiness? For readers of the web novel version, I hope you’ll keep your eyes peeled on that front while you wait for the next volume. Until we meet again in the next story!