Simple and simply wonderful. Â That’s the best way to describe this Japanese soup made in just under 10 minutes. Â Shiitake mushrooms, soft tofu, and cellophane noodles (also called Chinese vermicelli) form the bulk of this soup along with green onions and delicate enoki mushrooms. Â Everything is simmered in a mirin-sake infused broth and served piping hot.
Simple. Â Quick. Â Elegant. Â Delicious.
You’ll love the flavor of this warming soup and will be amazed how quickly it all comes together.
One of the ingredients in this soup are Enoki mushrooms. Â They have got to be the cutest members of the fungi family. Â Long, white, tender and thin with delicate little caps. Â Ideal for soups and salads. Â Enoki mushrooms can be found in the produce section of Asian stores. Â Some well-stocked grocery stores carrying specialty items may also have them. Â They come in little plastic packages as seen below and generally sell for less than $1 per pack.
Carefully clean the shiitake mushrooms and discard the stems. Â Thinly slice them. Â Cut about 1 inch off the bottom stems of the enoki mushrooms and discard. Â Cut the remaining stack in half so you’re left with approximately 1 1/2 inch length stems. Â 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.  You can also buy them HERE ON AMAZON.
To prepare the base broth, bring the chicken stock to a simmer along with the soy sauce, miso paste, mirin and sake. Â If you don’t have either of the latter here are a couple of quick substitutes. Â For the mirin: Â Use sherry and a dash of sugar. Â For the sake: Â Use white wine and a dash of rice vinegar. Â Simmer for a couple of minutes.
Add the shiitake and enoki mushrooms, the tofu and vermicelli, and simmer for another 5-6 minutes.
Add the green onions and simmer for another 2 minutes.
That’s it. Â You’re done. Â Told you. Â Ultra fast and simple, but oh so yummy! Â Enjoy your Japanese Mushroom, Tofu and Vermicelli Soup!
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For more delicious Japanese recipes try our:
- Ponzu Sauce (Japanese Citrus Sauce)
- Yum Yum Sauce (Japanese Steakhouse Sauce)
- Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese 7-Spice Seasoning Blend)
- Gomasio (Japanese Sesame Salt)
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- 4 cups chicken stock (vegetarian/vegan: use vegetable broth)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon miso paste
- 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 ½ inch cubes
- 3 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, stems discarded
- 2 oz enoki mushrooms
- 2 oz Chinese vermicelli (aka cellophane) noodles
- 3 green onions, sliced diagonally
- Extra enoki mushrooms and green onions for garnish
- Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, miso paste, 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 6 minutes. Add the green onions and simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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Debby says
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!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Debby, I’m so thrilled to hear that, thank you!
Shawna says
Can I add chicken to this soup?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Shawna, absolutely!
Barry L. Kramer says
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).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for your insights, Barry.
Rainer Fuchs says
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.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Anonymous says
Hi, what kind of miso have you used for this recipe? Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Sarah says
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).
The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Anonymous says
can i exclude the sake in this recipe or is it a must-put-in?
The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Anonymous says
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 ?
The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Morg says
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.
Anonymous says
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. :)
The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, you can use cooking sake for it and it will taste wonderful! :)
Josephine says
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).
The Daring Gourmet says
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!
Mushrooms Canada says
What a beautiful soup! Love the colours and the use of both Shiitake and Enoki mushrooms. Lovely!!
-Shannon
The Daring Gourmet says
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.
Mushrooms Canada says
Thanks for the kind words! Keep those mushroom recipes coming, I always look forward to reading your blog posts.
Nags says
The last picture is so gorgeous! :)
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Nags! It was a last-minute prop but the green brought out the colors nicely. Thanks for stopping by!