Harusame Glass Noodle Soup with Frozen Spinach
春雨スープ（冷凍ほうれん草） · Harusame Soup
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Harusame are thin, glass-like noodles made from starch (often mung bean or potato), and they slip down easily in a light broth, which is why even small children take to this soup so readily. We use frozen spinach here so there is no blanching to do, making it a quick side soup for a busy weeknight. It is made without egg, milk or wheat when you use an allergen-free consommé, so check the label of the consommé you buy. Cut the noodles and spinach short so toddlers can manage them on a spoon.
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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
- 3 gharusame (glass noodles)Thin, translucent noodles made from potato or mung bean starch that soften quickly in hot water. Substitute: Mung bean glass noodles or thin rice vermicelli.
- 22.5 gfrozen spinach
Seasonings
- 150 mlwater
- 0.8 gconsommé bouillon (allergen-free)Japanese-style consommé stock granules or cubes, used as a Western-style soup base. This kind is made without egg and milk, but most recipes on this site that use it list wheat in their allergens, so check the label if you avoid wheat. Substitute: A chicken or vegetable bouillon powder or cube made without egg, milk or wheat (check the label).
- 0.3 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- harusame (glass noodles) (春雨)
- Thin, translucent noodles made from potato or mung bean starch that soften quickly in hot water. Substitute: Mung bean glass noodles or thin rice vermicelli.
- consommé bouillon (allergen-free) (コンソメ（アレルゲン不使用）)
- Japanese-style consommé stock granules or cubes, used as a Western-style soup base. This kind is made without egg and milk, but most recipes on this site that use it list wheat in their allergens, so check the label if you avoid wheat. Substitute: A chicken or vegetable bouillon powder or cube made without egg, milk or wheat (check the label).
Directions
- 1
Soak the harusame in lukewarm (or boiling) water to rehydrate, then cut into 3 cm lengths.
- 2
Rinse the frozen spinach under water to remove any frost, then cut into 2 cm pieces.
- 3
Put the water and consommé bouillon in a pot. Once it comes to a boil, add the harusame from step 1 and simmer.
- 4
When the noodles are soft, season with salt. Just before serving, add the spinach from step 2 and bring back to a brief boil.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 16.5 kcal | 33 kcal | 16.5 kcal |
| Protein | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Calcium | 21 mg | 42 mg | 21 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 16.5 kcal | 0.6 g | 0 g | 3.9 g | 0.6 g | 21 mg | 0.3 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 33 kcal | 1.2 g | 0 g | 7.8 g | 1.2 g | 42 mg | 0.6 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.
