As for ways of cooking the Zoni, ingredients vary slightly from one region to the other. But in most cases it is either a clear soup (sumashi-jiru) flavoured with dashi (stock usually made from flakes of dried bonito) and soy sauce, generally preferred in eastern parts of the country, or a miso soup generally preferred in the western parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOXtjeinB1Q
My favorite is Shiromiso (White Miso) Zoni. White miso is a specialty in Shiga prefecture. It has a sweet taste and I love to eat it with bunch of bonito flakes!!! If you have never tried it, I recommend you to try it out :)
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Shiromiso Zoni (White Miso Soup with Mochi Rice Cake)
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20min
Number of servings: 6
Ingredients:
6 round Mochi (rice cakes)
150g (5.3oz.) Daikon radish
200g (7oz.) taro potatoes *pre-cooked or frozen
6 slices Kamaboko fish cake
6 decorative cut carrots
800ml Dashi stock *Kombu kelp recommended but bonito is OK
160g (5.6oz.) Saikyo Miso (white Miso)
Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)
Directions:
1. Slice Daikon radish in quarter-rounds. Make decorative cut carrot slices. Pre-cook Daikon and carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain well. If your taro potatoes are fresh, please pre-cook them as well.
2. In a large pot, bring Dashi stock to a boil. (Add water and dashi packet. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Discard the packets.) Dilute white miso in 1/2 cup soup broth and add to the soup.
3. Add pre-cooked or frozen taro potatoes and cook until done. Then add Daikon and carrots.
4. In a different pot, boil mochi pieces until soft (they float to the top when they are done.)
5. Place Daikon at the bottom of a soup bowl or a mug so that the mochi won't stick on the dish. Arrange taro potato, carrot, and Kamaboko on top.
6. Sprinkle with Katsuobushi (bonito flakes).
Believe it or not, mochi rice cake in this zoni tastes nice if you dip it into kinako (soybean flour with sugar). I saw this on TV and tried it and was great!
http://cookpad.com/recipe/1002313
↓レシピ（日本語）
http://cooklabo.blogspot.jp/2012/12/blog-post_27.html
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