By Elysha Rei

明けておめでとございます！Happy New Year!

After my eldest son Kairo just finished his year of the Ox, and I am entering the year of the Tiger for 2022, the both of us decided to make our best version of Osechi Ryori.

We researched the various dishes online, and sourced as many authentic ingredients as possible. Some were difficult to find (or had sold out!), but we managed to create a meal with Ebi Umani (simmered prawns), Kouhaku Kamaboko (fish cake), Tazukuri (candied dried fish – traditionally with sardines but we used anchovies as an alternative), Kuri Kinton (candied chestnuts), Chikuzenni (braised chicken and vegetables), Datemaki (alternative with tamago roll), Kouhaku Namazu (pickled daikon and carrot), Su Renkon (pickled lotus root), Kazunoko (herring roe) and Kuromame (sweet black soy beans). We also served a new year’s Ozoni soup with toasted mochi.

After three days of shopping, preparing and cooking, the whole family sat down to enjoy the meal and welcome the new year.

Elysha Rei is a Japanese-Australian visual artist who explores narratives of cultural identity, site-specific history and environmental elements through paper cutting and public art. Her Japanese grandmother arrived in Australia on the second ship carrying ‘war brides’ in 1953, after marrying her Australian grandfather who was based in Iwakuni as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces. Elysha lives in Brisbane with her partner and two sons in Brisbane / Meanjin.

All photos supplied by author.