Happy New Year 2024

#note書き初め
#うちのお雑煮

Happy New Year!
I hope everyone has a great year.

We started our new year with Osechi, traditional Japanese food, and Ozohni, rice cake soup.

My father made reservation for the Osechi and we received it yesterday. 

Our Ozohni is made with white miso bean paste soup. We cook with round rice cake, carrots, radish, and Chinese cabbages.

About the Ozohni's white miso paste, my mother and I learned how to make the paste from my grandmother. The miso paste is prepared from rice malt(麹) and cooked rice. We need to keep it in the right temperature to be fermented. So for these few years, my mother was making the white bean paste from the late November for the soup.

However, she was injured about a month ago, and she couldn't prepare the miso paste herself. I also couldn't come to Osaka right away, so I couldn't prepare it. My parents asked for help to prepare the paste to my uncle, my father's brother. My uncle was also trying to make the paste from the recipe we learned from my grandmother after she passed away.

My uncle came to my parents' house on the weekends in December and brought the miso paste he made. To preserve the miso paste at the right temperature, the stockroom in the house is better for it. 

We appreciate my uncle for preparing the paste. The Ozohni was so delicious and the taste was as same as we usually have. 

I hope we all stay as healthy as possible and enjoy this new year. May you all also have a great year and hoping for a peaceful world.