Kakitama-jiru (Japanese Egg Drop Soup)
かきたま汁 · Kakitama-jiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Kakitama-jiru is Japan's take on egg drop soup: a clear dashi broth thickened just slightly with potato starch, with beaten egg swirled in at the end so it sets into soft, fluffy ribbons. It is a fixture of Japanese school lunches, and the gentle, mild broth is one that even small children happily slurp up. Here it is filled out with carrot, long onion, silken tofu and spinach, so a single bowl brings plenty of vegetables and protein to the table. The soup is made without milk, and the little bit of starch keeps it warm longer and helps the egg float instead of sinking.
Toddlers to adults. The whole family can eat this exactly as written.
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
Added. Open the recipe helper (bottom right) → ☰ Menu → 🛒 Shopping list to see the ingredients for your family size.
Printing uses the number of adults and children set under Ingredients, so set those first.
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
- 12 gcarrot
- 10.5 gJapanese long onion (naga-negi)A long, thick scallion with a mild, sweet flavor when cooked, used in Japanese soups and stir-fries. Substitute: Leek (white and light green parts) or thick scallions.
- 30 gsilken tofu
- 22.5 gegg
- 12 gfrozen spinach
- 225 mldashi 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.
- 3 gsoy sauce
- 0.6 gsalt
Sauce Mixture (A)
- 1.2 gpotato starchJapanese katakuriko, a fine potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating food before frying. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
- 3 mlwater
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- Japanese long onion (naga-negi) (長ねぎ)
- A long, thick scallion with a mild, sweet flavor when cooked, used in Japanese soups and stir-fries. Substitute: Leek (white and light green parts) or thick scallions.
- 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.
- potato starch (片栗粉)
- Japanese katakuriko, a fine potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating food before frying. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
Video is in Japanese — the steps below are synced to it, so tap ▶ on a step to jump to that moment.
- 1
Cut the carrot into thin matchsticks, slice the long onion into thin rounds, and cut the tofu into 1.5 cm cubes. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat it well, keeping the tips of your chopsticks against the bottom of the bowl and cutting through the whites as you go.
- 2
Put the dashi stock, carrot and long onion in a pot and simmer over low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. (At 10 minutes the vegetables keep a little bite; at 15 minutes they become fully soft. Adjust to suit your child.)
- 3
Add the soy sauce, salt, tofu and frozen spinach and bring briefly to a boil. (Frozen spinach needs no blanching or pre-boiling, so it is a real help on busy days.)
- 4
Turn off the heat, stir the (A) mixture together and add it to the pot, mixing well. Return to low heat and bring to a gentle boil, then pour in the beaten egg little by little in a thin stream, letting it run down a pair of chopsticks as you circle the pot. Wait a moment, then give everything a light stir with a ladle. (Adding the egg only once the soup is properly boiling keeps the broth clear and gives you clean, pretty ribbons.)
Tips for the Best Results
・Thickening the soup with potato starch keeps it from cooling down quickly, and it also keeps the egg from sinking so it floats in soft, fluffy ribbons.
・Pour the egg from above in a thin stream, moving around the pot rather than into the same spot, for the prettiest result. If you prefer larger, fluffier pieces of egg, wait a little longer before stirring.
Freezing and Storage
This soup does not freeze well. Keep it in the refrigerator and finish it by the next day.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 69 kcal | 138 kcal | 69 kcal |
| Protein | 5.9 g | 11.7 g | 5.9 g |
| Fat | 3.5 g | 6.9 g | 3.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.8 g | 9.6 g | 4.8 g |
| Fiber | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Calcium | 58.5 mg | 117 mg | 58.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 1.8 mg | 0.9 mg |
| Potassium | 306 mg | 612 mg | 306 mg |
| Phosphorus | 105 mg | 210 mg | 105 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | Phosphorus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 69 kcal | 5.9 g | 3.5 g | 4.8 g | 1.2 g | 1.4 g | 58.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 306 mg | 105 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 138 kcal | 11.7 g | 6.9 g | 9.6 g | 2.4 g | 2.7 g | 117 mg | 1.8 mg | 612 mg | 210 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.
Cooking for bigger kids? See the elementary-school portion of this recipe.
