13 Japanese Soups and Broths to Warm Your Winter Nights

I've lived through two winters in Japan and, just like when I'm suffering through cold weather at home in Boston, I craved soup nearly every day. Already accustomed to having a bowl of miso soup at least once a day, I sought out soups that were heartier—full meals in a bowl. At the start of the new year, my friends treated me to a bowl of ozoni, which is meant to bring good luck and fortune. Packed with toasted mochi, chicken, and vegetables, it's an excellent way to ring in the new year (and, frankly, really soothing for a hangover). From there I sampled as many soups as I could, starting with every variety of ramen I could get (the ramen museum in Yokohama helped a lot on this mission), and delving into other noodle soups with soba and udon.

My favorite category of Japanese soups, though, are nabemono, meant to be cooked communally at the table (usually over a butane burner) in a large clay pot called a donabe. You prep all the raw ingredients ahead of time, get a stock simmering in the donabe, and add the ingredients a bit at a time—it's an excellent bonding experience, cooking and eating at the table together.

Dashi, typically made with kombu and katsuobushi flakes, though vegetarian dashi also exists) is the foundation for almost all of the soups below. Instant dashi flakes are a great time saver, but never taste quite as good as making your own. Read on to get started, then use your dashi for some of my favorite Japanese soups to beat the winter chill.