Clear soup or suimono is a traditional Japanese dish that uses easy-to-find ingredients (or at least easy to find in Japan) to produce a spicy and earthy, warming meal.
It isn’t a difficult recipe to master, so give it a go!
Quick Answer: How To Make Japanese Clear Soup
Japanese clear soup is a simple meal. Mix all the ingredients below, pour in the broth and simmer for around 10 minutes. Make sure you chop your ingredients into thick chucks as they make up the visual aesthetic.
What Is Japanese Clear Soup?
Some people would rather call suimono a broth than a soup because the end result is very thin.
Because the soup is thin, we wouldn’t call it a dinnertime meal, unless you serve it alongside other Japanese food. Instead, it would do well as a light lunch.
The most important part of this soup is its mushroom aesthetic. Although the liquid is somewhat clear (hence the name), the mushrooms stand out as the key visual in the meal.
How To Make Japanese Clear Soup
Ingredients
Sesame seed oil – 1 tablespoon
Carrots – 1 ½ cups (chopped)
Yellow Onion – 1
Mushrooms – 8 oz (thinly sliced)
Garlic – 3 cloves (minced)
Scallions – 4 (chopped)
Ginger – 1 inch (minced)
Salt – to taste
Pepper – to taste
Coconut Aminos – 2 tablespoons
Chicken Broth – 4 cups
Beef Broth – 3 cups
Method
Step 1
Use a large pot. Cook the sesame seed oil on a medium heat. Add in the carrots, ginger, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Saute for around 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Step 2
Add both broths and the coconut aminos. Stir until everything combines.
Step 3
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Once simmering, cover the pot and allow it to simmer for an hour.
Every so often, check on the soup and stir.
Step 4
When the hour is up, grab another large pot and a sieve. Put the sieve over the second large pot, and pour the soup through the sieve. The sieve will catch the bulky ingredients, while the secondary pot will catch the liquid.
Dispose of the vegetables, and put the liquid back on the heat.
Step 5
Put the heat on low. Stir in the scallions and the mushrooms. Allow simmering for 8 minutes or until the mushrooms soften.
Step 6
Serve while still hot. This recipe will create 3 meals.
Storage
If you’ve made too much soup and want to store it for another day, put the excess into an air-tight container, and allow it to cool.
Once cooled, put the soup into the refrigerator. It will last for 3 to 4 days. If you need a longer storage time put it in the freezer, it will last for 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat the soup, you can reheat it in the microwave. First, allow the soup to defrost. Then put on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, or until it starts to simmer.
As an extra tip, you can put tin foil around the air-tight container. This will distribute the heat, allowing you to put it into the refrigerator straight away, as it takes longer to cool down.
This will prevent the container from breaking and prevent the food from cooling too quickly and removing the flavor.
What To Serve With Japanese Clear Soup
With most Western foods, you expect to serve the soup with a side of bread. However, in Eastern cultures, you can expect something called ichiju-sansai, which is “one soup, three sides”.
The sides are meant to offer balance. This balance is aimed at flavor, textures, and nutrition.
Japanese Clear Soup has a light texture, deep earthy flavors, and thin density.
To balance this, we need food which is dense, light in flavor and contains interesting textures.
Remember that each bowl (including the clear soup) should be small, so we balance the total amount too. The aim isn’t to overeat.
Hibachi Chicken
Hibachi chicken is considered a comfort food, just like clear soup. With this side, we are aiming to balance the earthy flavors of suimono with the spicy and sweet flavors of Hibachi.
All you’ll need is chicken breast cut into chunks, mayonnaise, ground mustard powder, honey, coconut aminos, and garlic powder.
Mix all of the ingredients, minus the chicken, and then let the chicken marinade in the flavors. After an hour or so, cook the chicken as normal, and you’ll have a spicy and sweet side.
Many people would pair this chicken with vegetables cooked in the same sauce. Keep that in mind for any future recipes.
Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps are no secret in the cooking world. Simply sprinkle some ingredients into the lettuce and wrap it over like a tortilla. We will give you a little more direction, but that’s basically it.
The reason why lettuce wraps are a great balance for Clear Soup is the change in texture and temperature. Lettuces have a beautiful crack or snap to them, which is in direct contrast to the soup’s smooth liquid texture.
To make the food have a connection to our ensemble, we suggest using a Hibachi steak or Hibachi vegetable stuffing for the wrap.
This means using the same mayonnaise, ground mustard powder, honey, coconut aminos, and garlic powder ingredients.
Mix them together and then use them as a light sauce to drizzle across either steak and rice or cucumber and rice.
To create the wrap, lay your crisp lettuce down first, then the cold rice, then the main topping (either steak or cucumber), and lastly the sauce.
You can serve this plate with extra sauce on the side.
Mushroom Fried Rice
Lastly, we want to bring the mushroom flavor back onto the table. It is the star of this meal, after all.
To make mushroom fried rice, you’ll need rice, eggs, garlic, soy sauce, and mushrooms.
Cut up the mushrooms and garlic into small pieces. Cook the rice in boiling water, while in a pan saute the mushrooms, and garlic. Then add in the rice, soy sauce, and eggs. The eggs will combine the ingredients.
Once all is cooked, you can mold the rice into a bowl and serve it as your side.
The History Of Japanese Clear Soup
There is no real history to this soup, as it has been around for thousands of years. Different families and different regions of Japan will have their own version of the broth, and none of them are wrong.
Some food historians believe that the Clear Soup is one of the oldest in recorded history. Before flour had been crushed out of wheat, and before travel was even considered, clear soup would have been on the menu.
Poorer farmers would save the flour to make bread, instead of using it as a thickening agent.
And if you were stuck or lost on your travels, all you needed was water and foraged mushrooms to make a nutrient-filled warm meal.
As the centuries have moved on, the soup has been perfected, through the mixture of two stocks, the addition of spices, and a touch of greenery.
Final Thoughts
Clear Soup is an easy broth to create. It doesn’t take long to prepare, but you’ll be left with a rich and delicious snack.
Add in sides of mushroom fried rice, lettuce wraps, and Hibachi chicken, and you’ll have a delicate and delightful dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Japanese Clear Soup Called In Japan?
Clear soup has many names in Japan. We have used the name suimono, but it is also called sumashijiru, otsuyu, and osumashi.
As with many languages, words often lose their meaning, or the meaning changes over time. Suimono means “accompaniment to a drink” while “shiru” means served with rice.
What Are Common Traditional Japanese Soups?
The most popular traditional Japanese soups are miso soup, zosui soup (rice soup), egg drop soup, and Tonjiru (pork soup).
Use a large pot. Cook the sesame seed oil on a medium heat. Add in the carrots, ginger, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Saute for around 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
Add both broths and the coconut aminos. Stir until everything combines.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Once simmering, cover the pot and allow it to simmer for an hour.
Every so often, check on the soup and stir.
When the hour is up, grab another large pot and a sieve. Put the sieve over the second large pot, and pour the soup through the sieve. The sieve will catch the bulky ingredients, while the secondary pot will catch the liquid.
Dispose of the vegetables, and put the liquid back on the heat.
Put the heat on low. Stir in the scallions and the mushrooms. Allow simmering for 8 minutes or until the mushrooms soften.
Serve while still hot. This recipe will create 3 meals.
Hey! I’m Lana, the original Soup Chick! I decided to create this website as I am a massive soup fan. I will literally make soup for every occasion. Whether a friend is under the weather, has the flu, or I just want to try out something new in my slow cooker!
I hope that you can find some really interesting and different soup recipes to try out with my site. I know I’ve had a lot of fun curating and trying them all, and I hope that you do too!
