Living in Hawaii, the traditions of the local people are so ingrained in many homes and you don’t need to be Japanese to practice many of the customs associated with the New Year.
In front of many homes is a kadomatsu, which is translated to “gate pine.” Placed at the entrance of a home or office, it welcomes good fortune and ancestral spirits. The bamboo symbolizes prosperity and the pine symbolizes longevity. Kadomatsu is left at the front door from December 25 until January 7 or January 15. As the kadomatsu is a temporary housing for the ancestral spirits, it is to be burned on either of these two days to appease the spirits and release them.
One year we had our kadomatsu stolen, which was placed in front of our restaurant. If they understood the meaning of the kadomatsu — that is not just a decoration — they would not have touched it.
Tonight many will go to temples or shrines, called “hatsumode.” At Shinto shrines, worshippers arrive from midnight through the next morning to express gratitude and protection for the new year. They may get a good luck charm or “omamori.” Bells will ring 108 times on New Year’s Eve at the stroke of midnight. I remember sitting in church and listening to the sound of fireworks going off while the reverend rang the bells.
In a “kagami” mochi display, a smaller mochi stacked on top of a larger one, is placed on a sheet, usually with a picture of seven gods or other good luck symbols.
Tonight, a bowl of soba or buckwheat noodles before midnight brings long life and prosperity in the year ahead. Slurping the noodles meanings include: to enjoy a fulfilling life with every slurp of the long noodles, the break from the past, to gather strength and resilience like the tough buckwheat crop, and to grow your fortune just as buckwheat flour was once used by goldsmiths to gather leftover gold dust.
Toshikoshi Soba, or New Year’s Soba
Serves 2
7 ounces dried soba noodles
Broth:
3 cups water
1 piece dashi kombu (dried kelp) in 4 x4-inch pieces
1 cup katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the toppings:
2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
4 slices kamaboko (fish cake)
1 green onion
Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) for a spicy kick
For best flavor, soak the kombu in the water overnight.
Add the kombu in 3 cups of water to a medium pot. Slowly bring it to a boil over medium-low heat (so the kombu dashi will be more flavorful). When it comes close to a boil, remove the kombu.
Add the 1 cup katsuobushi and simmer for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and let the katsuobushi sink to the bottom of the saucepan. Let it steep for about 10 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon sake, 2 tablespoons mirin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
Bring to a simmer. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover and set aside.
Rehydrate 2 tablespoons dried wakame in 1 cup water and set aside. Thinly slice one green onion.
Slide a knife under the kamaboko to detach it from the wooden board. Thinly cut 4 slices of kamaboko.
In a pot of boiling water, cook soba noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water to get rid of the starch. Transfer the noodles to individual bowls.
Pour the hot soup broth over soba noodles. Top with kamaboko, wakame seaweed and green onions. Enjoy while it is hot.
On New Year’s Day, traditional foods such as “ozoni” mochi soup is eaten at breakfast and represents strength and prosperity. “Ozoni” translates to “miscellaneous simmered” so the ingredients added are very flexible. It is also quite regional and depending on where your ancestors came from, the broth might have chicken stock for Kanto style, pan-fried chicken for Nagoya style, Kyushu/Hakata style with dried shiitake mushrooms and yellowtail, or Kansai style with miso.
I grew up with my mother making a clear broth with dashi kombu, seasoned clams, soy sauce, daikon slices and then thinly sliced carrots cut up into flowers, mizuna and mochi. Simple and no recipe needed, but to taste.
An even easier broth is by adding 1 tablespoon dashi-no-moto with 4 cups water, 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. After bringing it to a simmer, place mochi pieces, kamaboko, and mizuna in the hot broth.
One of my favorite dishes is “kuromame” or black beans. They are eaten at New Year’s to symbolize good health. Boiling the beans takes a long time and using a pressure cooker may save some time,
Kuromame
1 pound black beans or kuromame (use only Japanese black beans)
6 cups water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound kachiguri (dried chestnuts)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons honey
Combine the kuromame, water and baking soda and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 hours until the beans are tender. Cover the pot at all times.
Pour boiling water over the chestnuts to loosen the skins. Let stand for 30 minutes or more to remove skins. Add cleaned chestnuts, salt, sugar, soy sauce and mirin to kuromame and cook for 2 one hour more on low heat. Add honey and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Happy New Year!
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
