This vegan Japanese mushroom soup was the one of the clear soups most frequently on the table at my home. A cup of soup and a bowl of rice are the essentials in the Japanese meals. There are basically 2 kinds of soups: miso-shiru (miso soup) or osuimono (clear dashi soup). The osuimono (clear dashi soup) can bring out the natural flavor of its ingredients, so this is the best way to enjoy the flavor and umami of mushrooms.
I love using maitake mushrooms because it has the good mushroomy aroma and rich umami. Luckily, my local costco has the big package of organic maitake mushrooms with a reasonable price.
I recommend you to use at least two kinds of mushrooms for the texture and the depth of flavor. I used maitake and shimejimushrooms this time, but I also love using shiitake, eryngii, and enoki mushrooms!
The soup has tofu and daikon radish, so it can be very satisfying entree size soup too. Serve the soup with chopped green onion and shichimi togarashi pepper, if you love spicy kick!
The vegan Japanese mushroom soup goes really well with the seasoned rice dishes such as sushi 0r takikomi-gohan (the rice cooked with stock with various ingredients). Try the soup with this delicious and colorful SALMON AND EGG SUSHI BOWL!
Japanese Clear Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1x2 inch pieces kombu seaweed (dried kelp)
- 4 oz daikon radish, cut into 2 inch strips
- 6 oz assorted mushrooms, tear by hand or cut into strips (I use maitake & shimeji mushrooms.)
- 1/2 package Japanese soft tofu, cut into 1/2 inch squares
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1.5 tbsp corn starch, mixed with 1.5 tbsp cold water (slurry)
- 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely shredded
- 2 ea green onion, chopped
- shichimi-togarashi pepper, to garnish
Instructions
- In a pot, heat 4 cups of water, soy sauce, mirin, and kombu seaweed. Right before it comes to boil, remove the kombu and discard.
- Add daikon radishes and simmer. Once daikon radishes are cooked through, add mushrooms and tofu. Season with kosher salt.
- Bring the pot to a boil. Pour the slurry in the pot and bring to a boil again to thicken the liquid. Turn off the heat and add ginger. Serve it immediately with green onion and shichimi-togarashi pepper.
Yum! What a fun recipe that can easily be made at home!
I’m glad you like it! It’s quick to make and healthy!
I love Japanese food, I don’t cook it often for some strange reason, odd as I cook lots of South East Asian and Chinese food…. This sounds delicious.
Thanks! I also love South East Asian foods. It is always fun to make many variations of Asian foods!
I have been craving this kind of soup with all the rain and cold weather we’ve been having here in LA! Love the main star being mushrooms, too! Must try!
Yes! The main star is the mushroom! It is inevitable soup for mushroom fans:)
I just know I would love this mushroom soup, Japanese soups are the best, especially when they are vegan!
It is surprisingly full of umami and rich body for the vegan soup by the combination of kombu seaweed and mushrooms. Glad you like it!
Mushrooms make such a star ingredient in this kind of soup. You’re looks wonderful.
Mushrooms are miracle ingredients! Good for meat, rice, noodle, in salad… so much more!