Suimono (clear soup with tofu and mushrooms)

Name: Suimono (clear soup with tofu and mushrooms)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Ingredients: 800 ml dashi; ¾ tsp salt; 1 tbsp sake; 4 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced; 150 g tofu, cut into small cubes; 1 spring onion, very thinly sliced

Non-vegetarian

吸い物 · suimono

A delicate clear soup of well-made dashi seasoned only with salt and a little sake, with tofu, shiitake and spring onion. Light, elegant and quick.

Suimono (clear soup with tofu and mushrooms) is a Japanese soup, ready in about 13 minutes and made with dashi, shiitake mushrooms and tofu. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 5 min
Cook: 8 min
Total: 13 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 99

Ingredients

4 servings

800 ml Dashi (opens in a new tab)A clean, freshly made kombu-and-bonito dashi matters most here. Make it by soaking 10 g kombu in 1 litre water for 30 minutes, heating to just below a simmer, removing the kombu, adding 15 g katsuobushi (bonito flakes) off the heat for 2 minutes and straining; or dissolve instant dashi granules as the packet directs.Contains fish
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (15 g) Sake (opens in a new tab)
4 (76 g) Shiitake mushrooms (opens in a new tab), stems removed, caps slicedSwap: Enoki mushrooms
150 g Tofu (opens in a new tab), cut into small cubesSwap: Silken tofuContains soy
1 (15 g) Spring onion (opens in a new tab), very thinly sliced

Equipment

Saucepan (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Bring the dashi (opens in a new tab) to a gentle simmer and season with the salt and sake (opens in a new tab). Taste — it should be lightly but clearly seasoned.
- 3 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Add the shiitake (opens in a new tab) and simmer until tender.
- 3 min
- medium-low heat
3
Step 3
Add the tofu (opens in a new tab) and warm through without boiling, then ladle into bowls and float spring onion (opens in a new tab) on top.
- 2 min
- low heat

About this dish

Origin: Japan · Well documentedMore food from Japan
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method: Simmered
Taste: umami, mild, fresh
Diet: Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Pescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: One-pot · Everyday
Cook more with: Dashi · Shiitake mushrooms · Tofu · Sake · Spring onion
Techniques: Simmering

Allergens

Contains: Fishfrom dashi
Contains: Soyfrom tofu

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

99 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 265 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 45%
Carbohydrate 11%
Fat 44%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	99 kcal	37 kcal
Protein	11.5 g	4.3 g
Carbohydrate	2.8 g	1.1 g
Net carbohydrate	1.4 g	0.5 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.4 g	0.5 g
Fat	5 g	1.9 g
Saturated fat	—	—
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	—	—
Sodium	757 mg	285 mg
Salt equivalent	1.9 g	0.7 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 446 mg
Calcium: 266 mg
Iron: 1.2 mg
Magnesium: 41 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): —
Vitamin C: —
Vitamin D: 0.1 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): 20 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Dashi: Home-prepared fish stock (FDC 172885) used as a stand-in for katsuobushi-kombu dashi; both are very low in energy.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Restaurants season clear soups with a few drops of light (usukuchi) soy sauce; salt alone keeps it wheat-free and crystal clear.

Common mistakes

Boiling the soup clouds the dashi; keep it just below a simmer once the tofu goes in.
Over-seasoning: suimono should taste of the dashi, with salt only just noticeable.

Serve with

Serve at the start of a meal or alongside rice and grilled fish.

Storage

Best fresh; refrigerate up to 2 days.

Reheating

Warm gently.

Variations

Kakitamajiru: Thicken lightly with starch and drizzle in beaten egg to make egg-drop clear soup.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced4 piece · 76 g
Tofu, cut into small cubes150 g

Used in steps 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

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