Sumashijiru (Clear Soup) with Spinach and Hanpen
すまし汁（ほうれん草・はんぺん） · Sumashijiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Sumashijiru is the clear, gently seasoned soup that sits beside so many Japanese school lunches: a bonito and kombu dashi with just a touch of soy sauce and salt, so the flavor of the broth itself comes through. This version adds hanpen, a pillowy white fish cake that soaks up the dashi and is soft enough for even the youngest children to chew, along with sweet onion, enoki mushrooms and a few ribbons of spinach for color. Because the spinach goes in at the very end, it stays bright green instead of turning dull in the pot.
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
- 15 ghanpen (soft fish cake)A white, spongy steamed fish cake made from ground white fish and grated yam. Substitute: Kamaboko or another mild fish cake, or leave it out.
- 18 gspinach
- 15 gonion
- 15 genoki mushroomsLong, thin, white mushrooms with tiny caps sold in a bunch, with a mild flavor and slight crunch. Substitute: Thinly sliced button mushrooms.
Seasonings
- 180 gbonito and kombu dashiJapanese soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and kombu kelp, the everyday base for soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a light vegetable or chicken stock.
- 0.9 gsoy sauce
- 0.6 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- hanpen (soft fish cake) (はんぺん)
- A white, spongy steamed fish cake made from ground white fish and grated yam. Substitute: Kamaboko or another mild fish cake, or leave it out.
- 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.
- bonito and kombu dashi (かつお・昆布だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock made from dried bonito flakes and kombu kelp, the everyday base for soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a light vegetable or chicken stock.
Directions
- 1
Cut the hanpen into 1 cm cubes, thinly slice the onion and cut the slices in half lengthwise, and cut the enoki mushrooms into short pieces.
- 2
Cut the spinach into 2 to 3 cm lengths and boil it; set aside.
- 3
Put the dashi and onion in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the hanpen and enoki mushrooms and simmer. Add the soy sauce and salt and adjust the seasoning.
- 4
Add the spinach just before serving.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 31.5 kcal | 63 kcal | 31.5 kcal |
| Protein | 3.2 g | 6.3 g | 3.2 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.5 g | 9 g | 4.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Calcium | 19.5 mg | 39 mg | 19.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 31.5 kcal | 3.2 g | 0.2 g | 4.5 g | 1.2 g | 19.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 63 kcal | 6.3 g | 0.3 g | 9 g | 2.4 g | 39 mg | 1.5 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.
