Japanese Glass Noodle Soup (Harusame Soup) 春雨スープ

• active time: 15minutes mins
• total time: 15minutes mins

Ingredients

▢2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)

▢2 green onions/scallions

▢3.5 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) (¼ block)

▢2 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed

▢2 tsp toasted sesame oil

▢2 cups chicken stock/broth (use vegetable stock for vegan/vegetarian)

▢2 cups water

▢1½ Tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for GF)

▢1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (adjust based on your chicken stock as some brands can be salty; add ½ tsp first, then add more after tasting)

▢¼ tsp white pepper powder

▢1 oz dried glass/cellophane noodles (harusame) (glass noodles are just one of many ingredients in this nutritious soup; you can add more noodles if you‘d like a more noodle-forward dish)

▢2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

Directions

Gather all the ingredients.

Beat 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) in a measuring cup or in a bowl with a spout.

Cut the white part of 2 green onions/scallions into thin round pieces. Then, thinly slice the green part diagonally. Set them aside separately.

Cut 3.5 oz medium-firm tofu (momen dofu) into ½-inch (1.3 cm) cubes.

Add 2 Tbsp dried wakame seaweed to a small bowl of water and rehydrate for 5 minutes. Then, drain and squeeze the water out. Set aside.

Preheat a medium pot over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, then the white part of the green onions.

Stir-fry for 30 seconds until the green onions are well coated with the oil. Then, add 2 cups chicken stock/broth and 2 cups water.

Add 1½ Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ¼ tsp white pepper powder.

After mixing the soup well, cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, add the tofu and 1 oz dried glass/cellophane noodles (harusame).

Cook the glass noodles according to the package instructions. Stir the noodles in the beginning so they don‘t stick to each other or the bottom of the pot.

After the noodles are cooked, adjust the heat so the soup is simmering (a very gentle boil). Slowly pour a steady trickle of the beaten eggs into the soup in a circular motion, starting from the center and spiraling outward. (Don‘t pour on top of any egg that you‘ve already added to the soup.) Place cooking chopsticks at the edge of the bowl/measuring cup while pouring so the egg will drizzle down the chopsticks in a thin stream. Let the eggs sit without stirring for 20–25 seconds until they‘re fluffy and just cooked.

Add the rehydrated wakame seaweed, green parts of the green onions, and 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds. Remove the saucepan from the heat to prevent overcooking.

Transfer the glass noodles to individual bowls with a pair of tongs. Then pour the soup and other ingredients over the noodles. Serve hot.

Notes

**Can I use other kind of noodles?**

Sure! If you’re using wheat noodles, you will need to cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water. Wheat noodles release starches while cooking, and you don’t want to cloud your clear soup.

The closest substitution would be the Chinese glass/cellophane noodles, or fěnsī (粉絲). They are slightly thinner than Japanese harusame. You can use the Korean varieties (dangmyeon) but they are made with sweet potato starch and on the thicker side.

**What other vegetables can I use?**

I’ll keep it simple, but thinly sliced carrot, spinach, shiitake mushrooms are great!

**Can I add meat?**

Of course! This recipe is very flexible. Cook the meat first until it is no longer pink, and then add the white part of the green onions.

**Do we need to use white pepper powder?**

In Asian cooking, white pepper is often used as it is said to have a more complex flavor profile. I like the smell and flavor of the white pepper used in Japanese-style Chinese dishes (Chuka Ryori).

White pepper is made from fully ripe pepper berries. They are soaked in water for about 10 days, leading to fermentation, and then their skins are removed. As a result, white pepper has a different flavor and heat component than black pepper.

You can certainly substitute black pepper for white pepper, noting that the black specks will show. Start with less black pepper than the white pepper called for and adjust the flavor as you go.

**What Main Dishes to Serve with Harusame Soup**

The glass noodle soup is wonderful on its own as a light low-calorie meal. To make it a more rounded meal, you can serve it with:

Chukadon (Chinese-Style Rice Bowl)

Beef and Green Pepper Stir-Fry (Chinjao Rosu)

Fried Chicken with Scallion Soy Sauce (Yurinchi)

Twice Cooked Pork (Hoi Ko Ro)

Mapo Eggplant

Gyoza or Vegetable Gyoza

Pork Shumai (Steamed Pork Dumplings)

**STORAGE**

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The glass noodles will continue to absorb the soup; therefore, it‘s best to store the glass noodles in a separate container from the soup.