Sawaniwan Clear Soup (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】沢煮椀 · Sawaniwan
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Sawaniwan is a classic Japanese clear soup built on fine strips of vegetables and pork simmered in dashi. One common explanation of the name is that "sawa" means "plenty" (as in takusan), a nod to the many ingredients cut into matching thin slivers so everything cooks evenly and is easy for children to slurp up with the broth. It is a familiar sight on school lunch menus across Japan, and with gobo, carrot, enoki, green onion and fragrant mitsuba in every spoonful, it is an easy way to get kids eating a wide range of vegetables. Sautéing the gobo, carrot and pork first deepens the flavor, and a light touch of potato starch at the end gives the soup a gentle body that keeps it warm and comforting.
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 elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 17.7 ggobo (burdock root)A long, slender, earthy-tasting root vegetable with a pleasant crunch, usually scraped rather than peeled. Substitute: Parsnip or carrot.
- 13.2 gcarrot
- 17.7 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 17.7 genoki mushroomsLong, thin, white mushrooms with tiny caps sold in a bunch, with a mild flavor and slight crunch. Substitute: Thinly sliced button mushrooms.
- 7.7 ggreen onion (naga negi)Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- 4.4 gmitsuba (Japanese wild parsley)A delicate Japanese herb with three-lobed leaves and a mild, fresh flavor, used as a garnish. Substitute: Flat-leaf parsley or tender celery leaves.
- 222 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.
- 2.8 gwater
Seasonings
- 1.4 gvegetable oil
- 3.6 gsoy sauce
- 0.8 gsalt
- 1 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. 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.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- gobo (burdock root) (ごぼう)
- A long, slender, earthy-tasting root vegetable with a pleasant crunch, usually scraped rather than peeled. Substitute: Parsnip or carrot.
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- enoki mushrooms (えのきたけ)
- Long, thin, white mushrooms with tiny caps sold in a bunch, with a mild flavor and slight crunch. Substitute: Thinly sliced button mushrooms.
- green onion (naga negi) (ねぎ)
- Japanese long onion, thicker and milder than Western scallions. Substitute: Scallions or the white part of a leek.
- mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley) (三つ葉)
- A delicate Japanese herb with three-lobed leaves and a mild, fresh flavor, used as a garnish. Substitute: Flat-leaf parsley or tender celery leaves.
- 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 (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. 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
- 1
Cut the gobo and carrot into fine julienne strips and the pork into 1 cm wide pieces. Cut the enoki into 3 cm lengths, thinly slice the green onion crosswise, and cut the mitsuba into 2 cm lengths.
- 2
Heat the oil in a pot, add the gobo, carrot, and pork, and stir-fry over low heat for about 2 minutes.
- 3
Add the dashi stock. Once it comes to a boil, add the enoki and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 4
Add the soy sauce, salt, green onion, and mitsuba and bring back to a brief boil.
- 5
Turn off the heat and stir in the potato starch dissolved in the water. Return to low heat and cook briefly, just until the soup thickens slightly.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 77.7 kcal | 155.4 kcal | 77.7 kcal |
| Protein | 5.6 g | 11.1 g | 5.6 g |
| Fat | 3.2 g | 6.3 g | 3.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.1 g | 16.2 g | 8.1 g |
| Fiber | 2.3 g | 4.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Calcium | 24.3 mg | 48.6 mg | 24.3 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 418.4 mg | 836.7 mg | 418.4 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 77.7 kcal | 5.6 g | 3.2 g | 8.1 g | 2.3 g | 1.5 g | 24.3 mg | 0.5 mg | 418.4 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 155.4 kcal | 11.1 g | 6.3 g | 16.2 g | 4.5 g | 3 g | 48.6 mg | 0.9 mg | 836.7 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school 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.
This is the elementary-school portion of Sawaniwan (Pork and Julienned Vegetable Soup) (larger quantities, same method).
