Japanese Mushroom Vermicelli Soup
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This Japanese vermicelli soup recipe features shiitake and enoki mushrooms, tofu, green onions, and rice vermicelli noodles with a rich and delicious broth infused with miso, mirin and sake. It comes together in just 10 minutes and is as elegant as it is delicious!
Simple and simply wonderful. That’s the best way to describe this Japanese mushroom vermicelli soup made in just under 10 minutes. Shiitake mushrooms, soft tofu, and rice vermicelli form the bulk of this soup along with green onions and delicate enoki mushrooms. Everything is simmered in a mirin-sake infused broth and served piping hot.
Ingredients
Shiitake mushrooms are especially flavorful but if you have difficulty sourcing them you can substitute another mushroom of your choice. The other mushrooms in this soup are enoki mushrooms. They have got to be the cutest members of the fungi family! They’re long, white, tender and thin with delicate little caps and are ideal for soups and salads. Enoki mushrooms can be found in the produce section of Asian grocery stores. Some well-stocked grocery stores carrying specialty items may also have them. They come in little plastic packages as seen below and are generally very inexpensive.
From silken/soft to firm, you can use any tofu of your choice depending on your texture preference. Likewise you can use your choice of miso, white and red being the most common in soups. White miso/shiro miso is the mildest and has a very pleasant flavor (that’s what I’m using) while red miso/aka miso is fermented longer and has a more robust flavor. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can substitute vegetable broth. Rice vermicelli is naturally gluten-free and this soup is also dairy-free.
This Japanese mushroom soup is extremely quick to prepare. It’s perfect for a busy weekday evening but is equally suitable for a dinner party. You’ll love the flavors of this warming soup and will be amazed how quickly it all comes together!
Japanese Mushroom Vermicelli Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
Carefully clean the shiitake mushrooms and discard the stems. Thinly slice them. Cut about 1 inch off the bottom stems of the enoki mushrooms and discard. Cut the remaining stack in half so you’re left with approximately 1 1/2 inch length stems. Drain the tofu and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Cellophane noodles, also called Chinese Vermicelli, are used in this soup. They expand considerably so you only need a little over an ounce. They can be purchased at any Asian store or in the Asian section of well-stocked grocery stores.
To prepare the base broth, bring the chicken broth to a simmer along with the soy sauce, mirin and sake. Simmer for a couple of minutes. (Mirin and sake will give you the best flavor but if you don’t have either here are a couple of quick substitutes: For the mirin use sherry and a dash of sugar and for the sake use white wine and a dash of rice vinegar.)
Add the shiitake and enoki mushrooms, the tofu and vermicelli, and simmer for another 5-6 minutes.
Add the green onions and miso and simmer for another 2 minutes.
That’s it. Ultra fast and simple, but oh so yummy!
Enjoy!
For more Japanese recipes be sure to try my:
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Teriyaki Salmon
- Teriyaki Tofu
- Ponzu Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Ginger Sauce
- Eel Sauce
- Shichimi Togarashi
- Gomasio
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Japanese Mushroom Vermicelli Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth (vegetarian/vegan: use vegetable broth)
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin , can substitute sherry and a dash of sugar
- 1 tablespoon sake , can substitute white wine and a dash of rice vinegar
- 4 oz. tofu , cut into 1/2 inch cubes (silken or firm depending on preference)
- 3 oz shiitake mushrooms , brushed clean and thinly sliced, stems discarded
- 2 oz enoki mushrooms , brushed clean
- 2 oz rice vermicelli or cellophane noodles
- 3 green onions , sliced diagonally
- 1 tablespoon miso paste (white miso has the mildest flavor)
- extra enoki mushrooms and green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, mirin and sake to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the tofu, mushrooms, and vermicelli, return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Add the green onions and miso and simmer for another 2 minutes.Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 16, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I was looking for a soup to serve alongside sushi and found this. Because the friends that were coming for dinner love coconut milk, I replaced about a third of the stock with coconut milk. I am not sure if this broke any traditions or not, but it turned out to be amazing and much-loved by all. Thanks for this!
Fantastic, Debby, I’m so thrilled to hear that, thank you!
Can I add chicken to this soup?
Hi Shawna, absolutely!
I recommend against boiling miso. Mix it thoroughly with some water to dissolve and liquefy it, then pour it through a very fine mesh strainer into the soup at the end after it cools somewhat. This removes the gritty texture that will settle to the bottom of the soup. I prefer Yamabuki Shiro Miso (dark yellow/tan color).
Thanks for your insights, Barry.
Great recipe. Quick, tasty. Next time I would cut back on the amount of vermicelli. I added an extra cup of broth, and it was still very thick.
Hi Rainier, I’m glad it was a hit, thank you! Yes, this soup will get very thick unless it’s eaten immediately (the noodles will soak up a lot of the liquid). If I have leftovers I’ll add extra broth as well.
Hi, what kind of miso have you used for this recipe? Thanks
There are three basic varieties of miso: Rice, barley and soybean. And they generally come in either red or white. White is milder, sweeter, less salty. Red is richer, thicker and much saltier. There’s no right or wrong in which one you choose, you may just need to adjust the amount of soy sauce (more or less) accordingly.
This recipe looks great! Is it okay to not add the noodles? I don’t know if I can get my hands on any in the near future–but I definitely have everything else (except the sake).
Hi Sarah, thank you! The noodles are mostly for bulk and texture and don’t really contribute much in the way of flavor. So if you leave the noodles out the soup will still taste the same flavor-wise. I’d still recommend adding something else to it though to add a little substance.
can i exclude the sake in this recipe or is it a must-put-in?
Do you have the mirin? If you have mirin, go ahead and omit the sake but just add about 1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have on hand). If you have neither mirin nor sake, it will definitely take away from the flavor, but if you omit both, then add that 1/4 teaspoon of rice vinegar along with 1/4 teaspoon sugar. It won’t taste the same, but it will still taste good.
thank you for your suggestions and indeed i do have mirin :) i can’t seem to find a smaller bottle of sake, do you have any suggestions about brands which sell small quantities of sake because i don’t think i’ll be using much of it ?
I’m in the middle of nowhere right now on vacation and honestly can’t remember what brand I’ve used. Since it’s such a small quantity, and since you have mirin, I really wouldn’t even worry about it. I’d just add the touch of vinegar.
My local supermarket (Austin, TX) had these little microwavable single-serving sake bottles. I forget the brand, but they were green with a white cap. I’d imagine not the best for drinking (although, I’m not really one to drink sake, anyway), but fine for cooking.
i would like to ask, can i use cooking sake for this recipe, what sake did you use or is any sake allowed for this recipe? thank you so much for answering all the questions i have at such a rapid time, you’ve helped me so much. :)
Yes, you can use cooking sake for it and it will taste wonderful! :)
Thanks for the recipe! can’t wait to try it out! I’ve been looking for a healthier recipe for enoki mushrooms that doesn’t involve smothering them in bacon fat (the only way I’ve tried these mushrooms).
Hi, Josephine, I’m so happy you found my site and am excited that you’re going to try this recipe! Let me know what you think once you’ve had the chance to make it!
What a beautiful soup! Love the colours and the use of both Shiitake and Enoki mushrooms. Lovely!!
-Shannon
Thanks, Shannon. Every time you post a comment I realize just how often I cook with mushrooms! They’re such fantastic little things and lend themselves so well to such a variety of dishes. Being the mushroom connoisseur that you are, I know you can appreciate that as well. You’ve got a great website there at Mushrooms Canada.
Thanks for the kind words! Keep those mushroom recipes coming, I always look forward to reading your blog posts.
The last picture is so gorgeous! :)
Thanks, Nags! It was a last-minute prop but the green brought out the colors nicely. Thanks for stopping by!