Cozy Chicken and Rice Zosui with Ginger and Egg

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Yesterday's roast chicken and a container of cold rice turn into a soothing Japanese rice soup in 20 minutes. The rice softens into a savoury broth spiked with ginger and soy, then a beaten egg swirled in at the end makes it silky. It's the Japanese answer to chicken soup — cheap, fast, and exactly what you want on a tired weeknight.

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 2 tsp instant dashi powder (or 2 chicken stock cubes)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

• 3 cups leftover cooked rice
• 2 cups leftover roast chicken, shredded
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Tip the leftover rice into a sieve and rinse briefly under cool running water, breaking up the clumps with your fingers. This washes off the surface starch so the soup stays brothy instead of turning to porridge. Drain well.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the water, dashi powder, soy sauce, mirin and grated ginger to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer over medium heat.
3. Add the rinsed rice and the shredded roast chicken. Simmer, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the rice grains are plump and softened and the chicken is heated through.
4. Stir in the baby spinach and cook for 1 minute, just until it wilts into the broth.
5. Reduce the heat to low so the soup is barely bubbling. Pour the beaten eggs over the surface in a thin stream, wait 10 seconds, then stir once or twice with a fork to set them into soft ribbons. Turn off the heat.
6. Taste and add another splash of soy sauce if needed, then ladle into deep bowls and scatter generously with sliced scallions. Serve straight away, while the egg is still silky.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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