- 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- 8 mochi rice cakes
- 4 cups water
- 3/8 ounce dashi-no-moto (broth seasoning)
- 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 1 dash soy sauce, or to taste
- salt to taste
- 12 shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 cups coarsely chopped spinach (packed)
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick-size pieces
- 1 (2-inch piece) daikon radish, peeled and sliced into rounds (optional)
- 1/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots (optional)
- 1 (2-inch piece) kamaboko (fish paste cake), thinly sliced
- Place mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water; let soak, about 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out water from mushrooms; slice.
- Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler on high. Place mochi on a baking sheet.
- Broil mochi, turning frequently, until inflated, crisp, and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Cut into 1-inch strips.
- Combine water and dashi-no-moto in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until dashi is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken, soy sauce, and salt; simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes.
- Mix shrimp, mushrooms, spinach, carrots, daikon radish, and bamboo shoots into chicken mixture; simmer until vegetables are tender and shrimp is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Divide mochi strips among 4 bowls and top with soup. Garnish soup with kamaboko slices.