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Japanese clear onion soup recipe
Victoria Haneveer

Clear Japanese Onion Soup Recipe

This soup is aromatic and simple in the Japanese style, featuring vegetables along with ginger, chives and garlic for added flavor and appeal. It's easy and very tasty. Feel free to change up the veggies and make this soup recipe your own. The key to making a good Japanese soup is to keep the recipe simple. A lot of popular Japanese soups are made with miso paste, water and very little else. In this one, the onions are paired with other ingredients and the seasonings are kept deliberately simple, so nothing can overpower any of the delicate vegetable flavors. Soup is often served as an appetizer in Japan, enjoyed before the main dishes are presented. If you want an Asian appetizer, this is a light refreshing soup recipe to choose.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 chopped yellow onion
  • ½ chopped stalk of celery
  • 1 cup (handful) sliced baby portobello mushrooms
  • 1 cup (handful) chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 3 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
  • 2 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 2 quarts (2 liters) water
  • ½ chopped carrot
  • 1 minced garlic clove

Method
 

  1. NSTRUCTIONS
  2. Put the onions, celery, ginger, carrot, garlic, and about ¼ of the mushrooms in a big pot.
  3. Add the beef bouillon granules, chicken broth and water.
  4. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over a high heat.
  5. Cover the pot, turn the heat down to medium and let your clear Japanese onion soup cook for 45 minutes.
  6. Put the rest of the mushrooms in another big pot.
  7. Put a strainer over the pot with the mushrooms in it and strain the cooked soup into the pot with the mushrooms.
  8. Now, cook the soup with the mushrooms in it for 3 minutes and discard the strained materials.
  9. Serve the soup in small bowls with fresh chives sprinkled over.

Notes

  • You can use garlic puree and/or ginger puree from a jar/tube in place of fresh.
  • I usually double the garlic because I love it!
  • If you don't want to strain and discard the vegetables, cut them smaller and peel the carrots so you have small pieces. Or else add extra ones to the soup near the end.
  • Feel free to use other mushroom varieties - there are lots to choose from!