RECIPE: Osuimomo (Clear Soup)

Japanese cuisine is often praised for its ability to create deep, layered flavors from just a few ingredients. The beauty of the simple approach to Japanese cuisine is easy to appreciate in osuimono!

Osuimono is a clear soup made of classic Japanese ingredients such as katsuobushi, soy sauce, and spring onion. Osuimono literally translates to “something you can sip” and is a light soup that will nourish you. You may have tried osuimono at a Japanese restaurant as a delicious appetizer. And with just a few simple ingredients, you also can make an osuimono soup at home!

An important philosophy behind Japanese cuisine is using high-quality ingredients. High-quality ingredients are an important foundation because they will give your dishes a complex flavor. With this cooking philosophy, Japanese chefs are able to create masterful dishes with a few simple ingredients.

Drawing on this Japanese cooking philosophy, this osuimono recipe leans on just a few contents so using high-quality ingredients is the key for maximum flavor. We recommend investing in a high-quality katsuobushi, as it is an important base for many Japanese soups. This katsuobushi is made from dried skipjack tuna that is carefully smoked, fermented, and shaved into thin, savory flakes.

We also recommend investing in a high-quality soy sauce to craft this soothing soup. Though soy sauce can be found in many grocery stores, there is truly no comparison to soy sauce that is formulated by Japanese master brewers.

Combine these premium ingredients with water, salt, and negi (spring onion) to create a foundational osuimono clear soup! Feel free to add other ingredients like vegetables or tofu for a heartier meal to enjoy. You can even swap out the salt and soy sauce with miso to create a mouth-watering, umami miso soup!

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 200ml water
• 5-6g katsuobushi
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tsp soy sauce
• Negi (spring onion) (chopped) 

Instructions

1. Bring the water to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the katsuobushi. Wait until the katsuobushi sinks to the bottom then remove.  
2. Add a pinch of salt and soy sauce to the soup and garnish with negi. 

Note: You can pour this soup over a cooked bowl of rice to create a dashi-chazuke (similar to ochazuke (tea with rice) but dashi instead of tea. You can also use miso instead of salt and soy sauce to make miso soup.

Introduction courtesy of Kimberlee Laney

As a Japanese-Korean-American, my love for Japanese food first came from my grandmother's kitchen! Japanese food feels like home and I love being able to cook it anywhere in the world to connect with Japan in my own little way. I love diving deep into the layers of Japanese food and always marvel at the food diversity between prefectures. I'm currently eating my way through Tokyo and taking up photography with my Instagram account @capturingkim!