Sumashijiru (Clear Soup) with Spinach and Chikuwa
すまし汁（ほうれん草・ちくわ） · Sumashijiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Sumashijiru is the simplest of Japanese soups: clear dashi stock seasoned with just a little soy sauce and salt, so the flavor of the stock itself comes through. Here it is filled out with soft spinach and thin half-moons of chikuwa, the grilled fish cake tube that children love for its mild, slightly sweet taste. The chikuwa simmers briefly so the soup picks up a little of its savoriness, while the spinach is blanched separately and stirred in at the very end to keep the broth clear and its color bright. It is a soothing bowl that sits quietly alongside rice and a main dish, which is exactly how we serve it in the preschool kitchen.
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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 gspinach
- 9 gchikuwa (grilled fish cake tube)A mild, slightly chewy tube-shaped fish cake made from white fish paste grilled around a stick. Substitute: Imitation crab sticks or other mild fish cake (kamaboko); check the label, as fish cakes often contain egg white and wheat.
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
- chikuwa (grilled fish cake tube) (焼き竹輪)
- A mild, slightly chewy tube-shaped fish cake made from white fish paste grilled around a stick. Substitute: Imitation crab sticks or other mild fish cake (kamaboko); check the label, as fish cakes often contain egg white and wheat.
- 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 spinach into 3 cm pieces and boil in hot water for 3 minutes.
- 2
Cut the chikuwa into thin half-moons.
- 3
Bring the dashi stock to a boil in a pot, add the chikuwa, and simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes.
- 4
Add the seasonings and simmer briefly, then add the spinach and stir to combine.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 15 kcal | 30 kcal | 15 kcal |
| Protein | 2.1 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2.3 g | 4.5 g | 2.3 g |
| Fiber | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 18 mg | 36 mg | 18 mg |
| Iron | 0.3 mg | 0.6 mg | 0.3 mg |
| Potassium | 226.5 mg | 453 mg | 226.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 15 kcal | 2.1 g | 0 g | 2.3 g | 0.5 g | 0.8 g | 18 mg | 0.3 mg | 226.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 30 kcal | 4.2 g | 0 g | 4.5 g | 0.9 g | 1.5 g | 36 mg | 0.6 mg | 453 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.
