French Onion Soup
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Traditional Japanese Onion Soup
Traditional Japanese onion soup is very mild. You can make the following Japanese onion soup recipe as it is or change the ingredients a little. Throw in some extra shiitake mushrooms if you like and maybe a couple of chopped green onions. All the vegetables are strained out of the soup before you serve it, so add anything you like for extra flavor. You do not have to use shiitake mushrooms in this Japanese onion soup recipe. Any mushrooms will give it a nice earthy flavor so you can use any kind of fresh mushrooms you happen to have.
This is a great appetizer before any entree because it is light and tasty without being too filling. This Japanese onion soup is very different to most French onion soup recipes but if you enjoy eating onions and you like soup, it does make a nice change. Roughly, chopped vegetables are cooked for forty-five minutes to make a tasty broth and then mushrooms are added. French onion soup can be a meal in itself, especially if you have plenty of cheese on top and a big serving but this Asian onion soup is more of a light appetizer than a whole meal.
This Japanese onion soup is nice served in little porcelain bowls with Asian soupspoons if you have them. This is a delicious onion soup recipe which is simple to make and very healthy. A lot of Japanese recipes are quite nutritious and healthy and this nice broth is a favorite in Japan..
Japanese Onion Soup with Mushrooms
Ingredients -
1 onion, chopped
½ rib celery, chopped
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 cup chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
3 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 quarts water
½ carrot, chopped
¼ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
Preparation:
Combine the onion, celery, ginger, carrot, garlic, ¼ of the mushrooms in a big pot and add the beef bouillon granules, chicken broth, and water.
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over a high heat, then cover the pot, turn the heat down to medium and let the Japanese onion soup cook for 45 minutes.
Put the rest of the mushrooms in another big pot.
Put a strainer over the pot with the mushrooms in it and strain the cooked soup into the pot with the mushrooms.
Cook the soup with the mushrooms in it for 3 minutes and discard the strained materials.
Serve the soup in small bowls with fresh chives sprinkled over it.
(Serves 6)
Delicate Japanese Soup Recipes
A French onion soup recipe would seem very heavy to an eastern palate, although we love easy French onion soup recipes in the west. The sweet onion and beefy flavor of the soup itself would be appreciated but the French onion soup cheese and crouton might not be. Most Japanese soups are light and aromatic. Some Japanese soup recipes contain rice or noodles and the broth can be meat, fish, or poultry broth.
Japanese Onion Soup and Other Soups
Miso soup is the most famous Japanese soup and this soup is unlike the light Japanese onion soup in that it is made from miso paste, some kind of broth and seasonal vegetables. Shrimp, fish, mushrooms, seaweed, potatoes, tofu, and pork can be added to Japanese miso soup. If you are fond of recipes like French onion soup, it might be interesting to compare a Japanese soup, because the two are so different.
Why Oriental Dishes are Aromatic
A lot of eastern recipes are fragrant and aromatic rather than heavy and stodgy. Not all eastern foods are light and healthy and not all western foods are bland or heavy. A lot of it is down to personal preference and the eastern palate is very different to the western one. Some dishes are based on very similar ingredients, for example French onion soup and Japanese onion soup, but the end results are matched to the local palate in terms of flavor, seasoning and consistency.