A Deliciously Tasty Japanese Clear Soup Recipe

When you visit your favorite hibachi restaurant, no meal is complete without a delicious bowl of Japanese clear soup. If you have considered making this at home but are unsure what it all includes, keep reading for a tasty Japanese clear soup recipe that you can keep in your fridge to enjoy any time of the day or if you are starting to feel ill.

History of Japanese Clear Soup

Not to be confused with miso soup, but the Japanese clear soup recipe has a long history in the culture for hundreds of years and exploded as a Western favorite in the 20th century. This Japanese clear soup started as a soup that combined essential spices and herbs before being strained later. The nutritional value of this soup is full of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that help fight illnesses and keep the body healthy.

In Japanese culture, this soup is also used as a starter, enjoyed at the beginning of a meal before the rice entree dish is served in a formal meal. This is how the soup is served in traditional Hibachi restaurants today. With the introduction of Japanese cuisine in the Western world, Japanese clear soup was quickly adapted as a popular dish. Even takeout restaurants have served bowls of Japanese clear soup al a carte because of the high demand.

Gathering Your Ingredients

Now that we know you love this dish, grab the ingredients below that are required for this Japanese clear soup recipe.

  • Six cups of your preferred low-sodium broth
  • One large carrot
  • One yellow onion
  • 1/3 cup of chopped ginger root
  • 1/3 cup of chopped or minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup of chopped Bella mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup of diced scallions
  • One tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil

I know you think this is a short ingredient list, but this isn’t a fast soup and is all about the low and slow. When it comes to broth, veggie stock will be your best bet if you have strict dietary preferences. You can also choose from seafood, chicken, or beef for a stronger, meatier flavor. Those who tend to have pescatarian diets opt for either vegetables or seafood. If you want to make a restaurant replica, you should opt for chicken, as that is the preferred broth in hibachi restaurants.

You can sub out the mushrooms if you have limited options at your market. Oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms are great substitutions if the Bella mushrooms are unavailable. If you want to omit any of these veggies because you can’t find them or don’t like them, then just mix a chicken and vegetable broth to give that veggie flavor without all the chopping.

Recipe Steps

1. Prep Your Ingredients

Once you get home from the market, go ahead and wash your veggies in cold water and give them a rough chop. You will remove them when you serve the soup, so having neat cuts is unnecessary.

Please don’t wash the mushrooms or scallions at this step, as they come later on. You want to chop up your ginger root and garlic unless you opt for minced versions of these spices.

2. Time to Saute

Now that you have chopped the onion, carrot, and herbs, take a tablespoon of olive or avocado oil to your large soup pot and let it warm up. Turn the burner to medium so that your oil warms but doesn’t burn. After a minute, toss in your garlic and ginger, allowing them to become aromatic.

After a minute of those two spices cooking, add your carrot, onion and stir around. Let these veggies and spices saute for about five minutes until your onions are clear and the carrot breaks down.

3. Broth and Boil

Now that these ingredients have started to cook down, add the broth of your choice and let it boil. You may want to turn the heat to medium-high so it boils in about four minutes. Keep it uncovered until the boil is roiling and the veggies are bobbing at the top of the soup.

4. Simmer Away

Go ahead and cover the soup at this point and turn the burner down to simmer. Set your timer for 50 minutes and let the stovetop do the rest for the rest of an hour.

5. Remove the Chunks

After your timer goes off, you can go over to your soup and remove the veggies, garlic root and ginger root pieces that are floating. Cover the soup back and let it continue to simmer.

6. Add Your Mushrooms

Now, wash your mushrooms, then dice them up into small slices. Once you have them sliced to your preference, add them to the clear soup and cover it back. Set your timer for the next ten minutes, where you will dice up your scallions and put them in a serving dish for your guests to enjoy if they want to add them to the soup.

7. Serve and Store

Once your mushrooms have tenderized, you can serve your soup in small dishes for your guests. If you made too much and need to store any extras, allow the soup to cold down completely. You can refrigerate this soup in the fridge for up to a week, and is the best way to enjoy it. You can freeze it, but the freezing temperatures will take out some of that flavor, and it will not be as fragrant later.

Use As An Appetizer or Side Dish

This soup alone is not enough for a meal, but it is a great appetizer at dinner parties, showers, and other gatherings where you must keep your guests busy and warm if the weather is getting cooler. It is also great as a side if you are planning to have a soup and salad or soup and sandwich lunch kind of day. It pairs well with meatier sandwiches so that you get that full meal.

Make in the Slow Cooker

If you would rather cook this in your slow cooker, add all your ingredients to the crock pot immediately and then cook on low for about four hours. Ensure you remove the veggies just as you would before adding the sliced mushrooms. Before serving, they will need about 15 minutes in the crock pot to meet their desired tenderness.

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