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Japanese clear onion soup recipe
Victoria Haneveer

Japanese Onion Soup

Clear hibachi-style Japanese onion soup with a light savory broth, sliced mushrooms and fresh green onions. Serve it in small bowls as a restaurant-style appetizer.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese-American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • ½ celery stalk, roughly chopped
  • ½ carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chicken stock
  • 3 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
  • 2 quarts (2 liters) water
  • 1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup baby bella mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms), thinly sliced
  • 2 green onions (spring onions), thinly sliced

Method
 

  1. Add the onion, celery, carrot, ginger, garlic and about a quarter of the mushrooms to a large stockpot. Add the chicken stock, beef bouillon granules and water and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.
  2. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.
  3. Put the remaining sliced mushrooms in a second large pot. Set a fine-mesh strainer over the second pot and carefully strain the broth into it. Discard the cooked vegetables.
  4. Simmer the strained broth and mushrooms for 3 minutes. Divide the soup between 4 small soup bowls and garnish with the sliced green onions.

Notes

  • Ginger paste and garlic paste can replace fresh ginger and garlic.
  • White button, cremini or baby bella mushrooms can replace the shiitake mushrooms.
  • Fresh chives can replace the green onions.
  • Bouillon and stock vary in saltiness, so taste the soup before adding salt.
  • Cut the vegetables into smaller pieces when leaving them in the soup.