Clear Soup with Komatsuna and Aburaage
すまし汁（小松菜・油揚げ） · Sumashijiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Sumashijiru is a simple Japanese clear soup: dashi seasoned lightly with soy sauce and salt, so the flavor of the stock comes through. This version pairs tender komatsuna, a mild Japanese leafy green, with thin strips of aburaage that soak up the broth and give the soup a gentle richness. It is a staple on preschool lunch trays because it is so mild, and the soft greens are easy for small children to eat. If you cannot find komatsuna, baby spinach or bok choy leaves work well in its place.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 18 gkomatsunaA mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- 3 gaburaage (fried tofu pouch)Thin slices of tofu deep-fried until puffy and golden, sold in packs in the refrigerated section of Japanese and Asian markets. Substitute: Firm tofu, thinly sliced and pan-fried until golden.
Seasonings
- 150 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 0.8 gsoy sauce
- 0.2 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- komatsuna (こまつな)
- A mild Japanese leafy green (Japanese mustard spinach) with tender stems. Substitute: Spinach or bok choy.
- aburaage (fried tofu pouch) (油揚げ)
- Thin slices of tofu deep-fried until puffy and golden, sold in packs in the refrigerated section of Japanese and Asian markets. Substitute: Firm tofu, thinly sliced and pan-fried until golden.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
Directions
- 1
Cut the komatsuna into 2 cm lengths and boil in hot water for 5 minutes. (Boiling it separately keeps the color bright, but if that is too much trouble you can simply simmer it in the soup with everything else.)
- 2
Pour hot water over the aburaage to remove excess oil, cut it lengthwise into 4 strips, then slice into thin strips.
- 3
Put the dashi stock and aburaage in a pot and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
- 4
Add the seasonings and simmer briefly, then stir in the komatsuna from step 1.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 18 kcal | 36 kcal | 18 kcal |
| Protein | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 1 g | 2.1 g | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0.9 g | 1.8 g | 0.9 g |
| Fiber | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 43.5 mg | 87 mg | 43.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Potassium | 190.5 mg | 381 mg | 190.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 18 kcal | 1.5 g | 1 g | 0.9 g | 0.3 g | 0.5 g | 43.5 mg | 0.6 mg | 190.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 36 kcal | 3 g | 2.1 g | 1.8 g | 0.6 g | 0.9 g | 87 mg | 1.2 mg | 381 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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