Soup is a big part of the Japanese meal, especially when we serve Ichiju Sansai (一汁三菜; one soup three dishes) on the family dinner. There will be steamed rice, the main protein, a few veggie or side dishes, and a soup. In addition to the quintessential miso soup, we also enjoy many different types of clear soups. Today I’ll like to introduce Kakitamajiru (かきたま汁), a flavorful egg drop soup that uses minimal pantry ingredients. It’s quick and simple, and you’re going to love it!
What is Kakitamajiru?
Kakitamajiru is a Japanese egg drop soup. Kaki (掻き) means to scratch, rake, or sometimes include the stir-motion, and tama (たま) comes from tamago (たまご), as in egg in Japanese, and jiru (汁) means soup. You might be more familiar with Chinese egg drop soup because it is almost a prerequisite in many Chinese take-out restaurants. But did you know egg drop soup is also common in Japanese home cooking? Both Japanese and Chinese styles are indeed very similar to each other because they contain fluffy egg ribbons.
How is Japanese Egg Drop Soup Different from the Chinese version?
Here are some quick generic differences: Japanese egg drop soup
Use dashi (Japanese soup stock) as the soup base. It has a much lighter consistency, sometimes barely noticeable. Use potato starch to thicken. Always include soy sauce. Garnish with mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley). You can also use scallions as I did in this recipe.
Chinese egg drop soup
Use chicken stock. It has a thick consistency. Use cornstarch to thicken. Flavored with sesame oil and white pepper as the final touches.
5 Ingredients You’ll Need
The best thing about Kakitamajiru is that the ingredients are most likely in your kitchen already. I call it my pantry soup!
Dashi (make homemade awase dashi, kombu dashi for vegetarian, or use dashi packet for a quick shortcut) Egg(s) Potato starch (cornstarch) Soy sauce (I use light-colored usukuchi shoyu, but you can use regular Japanese soy sauce) Sake (adds umami)
And salt to emphasize the flavors and bring everything together.
How About Add-On Ingredients?
You can definitely throw in some other ingredients to bulk it up. Here are some common options, however, I recommend keeping the soup rather simple by adding just 1 add-on ingredient besides the egg. The soup is best enjoyed for its simplicity!
Green onion/scallion (I used it in today’s recipe) Kaiware daikon radishes Mushrooms such as enoki, shiitake, shimeji, etc Wakame seaweed Silken/soft tofu Julienned carrot
3 Tips on Making the Best Japanese Egg Drop Soup
1. Use good dashi.
I understand this is such a basic tip, but if you want to make a good soup, the base soup stock is the most important. Here we use dashi. Don’t use dashi powder when you make egg drop soup. The flavor will disappear really quickly. Instead, make it from scratch or use the dashi packet.
2. Check the flavor before adding the egg.
Oftentimes, when you rely on the recipe so much, you tend to forget to taste what you’re cooking. As a rule of thumb, when comes to cooking, it’s very important to taste and adjust the seasonings according to your liking. In this recipe, you must prep all the mixture before adding the egg. Once the egg is added, we do not touch the soup until you’re ready to serve. We do not want to break the fluffy egg ribbons. Tip: When you add the potato starch (cornstarch), mix it really well because the starch tends to stay on the bottom of the bowl.
3. Drizzle slowly, using a chopstick as a guide.
We use a long cooking chopstick as a guide to drizzle the beaten egg from a bowl (or measuring cup). Why drizzle slowly? As soon as the egg hits the hot broth, it should curl up and float. If you pour in too much, the beaten egg gets heavy and drops on the bottom of the pot. We want to drizzle slowly as you move across the soup, giving plenty of space for the egg to bloom. Let the egg sits for a few quick seconds, and the soup is ready to be enjoyed!
More Delicious Japanese Soup Recipes You’ll Love:
Vegetable Miso Soup Japanese Clear Clam Soup Kabocha Miso Soup Kenchinjiru (Japanese Vegetable Soup) Sanpeijiru (Japanese Salmon Soup)
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