Japanese Clear Soup (Osumashi) おすまし

Besides the quintessential miso soup, the Japanese also enjoy various styles of soups. This Japanese Clear Soup called Osumashi (おすまし) is not only delicious, it is also effortlessly elegant and nourishing! The beauty of it lies in its simplicity. Because of the use of good dashi, the flavor of this soup is complex and 3-dimensional, and not bland at all. I hope you give it a try tonight!

What is Japanese Clear Soup?

Japanese clear soup is called osumashi (おすまし) or sumashi-jiru (すまし汁) and it’s one of many types of Japanese soup (osuimono, お吸い物).

Now this is completely different from the so-called Japanese clear soup served at the hibachi grill restaurants or non-authentic Japanese restaurants in the US. I know that some people are thinking of “Japanese Onion Soup”—also known “Miyabi Soup” or “Hibachi Soup”—made by simmering beef broth or chicken broth and veggies such as carrots, celery, fresh ginger, and garlic. This soup commonly includes sliced mushrooms, scallions, sometimes tofu, and sesame oil. However, I’ve personally never heard of this soup in Japan as we don’t use beef broth at all! I believe this could just be another American mashup invention, mixing up all Asian flavors and calling it Japanese.

Unlike the clear soup served at the hibachi steakhouse, the characteristic of authentic Japanese clear soup is the use of really good dashi (Japanese soup stock) and seasonal ingredients. The dashi is lightly seasoned with salt and soy sauce. We typically use light-colored soy sauce so that the soup stays unclouded. The final taste is delicate, complex yet pure.

The big difference between miso soup and clear soup is that clear soup is often served on special occasions, such as Japanese New Year, Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day), and all the seasonal festivals.

Ingredients for Osumashi

• Dashi – Japanese soup stock made with kombu and katsuobushi
• Light-colored soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu) (you can get it on Amazon or Asian grocery store)
• Salt
• Soup Ingredients: kamaboko fish cakes, fu (wheat gluten), and mitsuba

How to Make Osumashi

1. Make the dashi from scratch. I used Awase Dashi, made with a combination of kombu and katsuobushi. In a pinch, you can substitute a Dashi Packet or Dashi Powder. For vegan/vegetarian, use Vegan Dashi.
2. Add the seasonings and ingredients to the soup.
3. Serve the soup.

Cooking Tips

• The soup stock is the most important component of this soup. Take time to make a really good dashi. If you’re new to Japanese soup stock, read this post. I don’t recommend using dashi powder. If you really want to take a shortcut, use a dashi packet.
• Use light-colored soy sauce. The salt content of light-colored soy sauce is slightly higher than regular soy sauce despite its name.
• Use seasonal ingredients, if possible. Please read below.

Seasonal Ingredients for Japanese Clear Soup

Here are some examples of seasonal vegetables that we can add to the clear soup.

• Spring: Nanohana (rape flower), snow peas, bamboo shoots, and cabbage
• Summer: Myoga ginger, cucumber, eggplant, corn, and okra
• Fall: Shimeji mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, chrysanthemum leaves, sweet potatoes, napa cabbage, daikon, turnips, spinach, and gobo (burdock root)
• Winter: Yamaimo, lotus root, and komatsuna

The ingredients I used in today’s recipe do not require pre-cooking. If you want to add different ingredients to osumashi, be sure to first cook separately any ingredients that require cooking, then add them to the soup later. These include dense root vegetables or leafy greens that may release color, such as spinach. Once all the ingredients are cooked, simply add them to the clear soup to warm up.

What to Serve with Japanese Clear Soup

This simple yet elegant soup complements any ichiju sansai (one soup three dishes) and washoku-style meals. I would typically serve it with Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice) with seasonal ingredients, the main dish like Miso Cod or Salmon Kasuzuke, a pickled dish like Napa Cabbage Pickles, and one or two vegetable sides such as Kinpira Gobo and Chrysanthemum Greens and Tofu Salad (Shungiku Shiraae).

More Japanese Soups You’ll Enjoy

• Classic Homemade Miso Soup
• Cold Miso Soup
• Corn Potage (Japanese Corn Soup)
• Japanese Egg Drop Soup
• Kabocha Miso Soup

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