Yoshino-jiru (Thickened Clear Soup)
吉野汁 · Yoshino-jiru
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Yoshino-jiru is a clear dashi soup given a light, silky body with a little starch. The name comes from Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, long famous for its kuzu starch, which was the traditional thickener; today most kitchens, including ours, use potato starch instead. That gentle thickness keeps the soup warm and helps the vegetables cling to the spoon, so even toddlers can manage it without spills. Carrot, potato, and daikon simmer until soft, and the bok choy goes in just before serving so it stays bright green.
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 preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 9 gcarrot
- 22.5 gpotato
- 15 gdaikon radish
- 22.5 gbok choy
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
- 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
- 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 carrot, potato, and daikon into thin quarter-rounds. Cut the bok choy into 2 cm pieces and boil it.
- 2
Put the dashi stock, carrot, and daikon in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the potato and simmer.
- 3
Once the vegetables are tender, season with the soy sauce and salt, then stir in the potato starch dissolved in water to thicken the soup.
- 4
Just before serving, add the boiled bok choy.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 27 kcal | 54 kcal | 27 kcal |
| Protein | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.2 g | 14.4 g | 7.2 g |
| Fiber | 2.7 g | 5.4 g | 2.7 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 34.5 mg | 69 mg | 34.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 310.5 mg | 621 mg | 310.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 27 kcal | 1.2 g | 0 g | 7.2 g | 2.7 g | 0.5 g | 34.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 310.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 54 kcal | 2.4 g | 0 g | 14.4 g | 5.4 g | 0.9 g | 69 mg | 0.9 mg | 621 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.
