FUNDAMENTALS 101 Vol. 37 No. 2 Summer 2023
Sumashijiru Clear Soup
Our focus on Japanese soups continues with sumashijiru, whose delicate umami complspanents a wide variety of ingredients.
Sumashijiru is a clear (sumashi), dashi-based soup (jiru), sparingly seasoned with salt and light color soy sauce. Although Japanese dishes are often accompanied by miso soup, sumashijiru is considered more suitable for accentuating the flavors of the ingredients in the soup. This clear soup imparts the delicate fragrance of dashi made with dried bonito flakes and/or kelp, and is considered the spanbodiment of umami. A variety of ingredients can be added to sumashijiru, including daikon radish, mushrooms or seafood.
Sumashijiru with egg-tofu (serves 6)
- 1 Prepare a steamer. Break four eggs into a bowl, beat thoroughly. Add 240 ml / 1 C cooled dashi, 2/3 t salt, 1 t mirin and 1/2 t light color soy sauce to the eggs. Mix, then pass through a strainer. Pour the mixture into a mold.*1
- 2 Place mold in steamer, cover with steaming cloth and a lid. Steam over high heat for 1 minute, then over medium-low heat for 11 minutes. Insert a bamboo skewer into center of egg-tofu; it is done when liquid does not run out. Take out mold, set aside to cool. Rspanove egg-tofu from mold (see photo), cut into 6 pieces for serving.
- 3 Parboil 1/2 bunch of spinach, plunge into cold water, squeeze out excess moisture. Chop into bite-sized pieces for serving.
- 4 Heat 960 ml / 4 C dashi, 1 t light color soy sauce and 1 t salt in a saucepan (see photo). Adjust to taste.
- 5 Place egg-tofu and spinach in soup bowls, slowly pour warm dashi over to serve and garnish with greens as desired.
- *1 Silicon molds can be used.
- 5 Place egg-tofu and spinach in soup bowls, slowly pour warm dashi over to serve and garnish with greens as desired.
- *1Silicon molds can be used.
Vol. 37
