Kakitamajiru is a kind of Sumashijiru

Kakitamajiru is a kind of Sumashijiru, a Japanese clear soup, but with an egg. It looks similar to the famous Chinese egg drop soup, but the flavor is totally different.  Kakitamajiru is made from Dashi (or Ichiban Dashi), and it has a subtle but nice Umami (savory flavor).  The soft yellow egg and green Mitsuba, Japanese herb, look very pretty, too, giving a splash of color to a meal.

When a beaten egg is added to a hot soup, the egg poofs up.  If you add a little potato starch slurry (or corn starch) to thicken the soup, the egg floats in the soup better. Though the amount of starch is very small, it’s enough to make at  difference for the egg but you don’t even notice the thickness of the soup.  Another important tip to make a nice “flowering” egg is to add the beaten egg slowly in a circling motion into the soup.  Don’t drop the egg in one spot all at once.  The soup should be very hot, almost boiling, but not rolling before adding the egg.  We used Mitsuba for an accent of refreshing flavor and color, but you can use spinach or green onion if you can’t find Mitsuba.

Kakitamajiru is easy to make with simple ingredients.  If you want something other than Miso soup, try this one!

Kakitamajiru Recipe

Ingredients :

3 cups Dashi or Ichiban Dashi

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Sake

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

1/2 bunch Mitsuba

1 tsp Katakuriko potato starch or cornstarch

1 Tbsp water

1 egg

Instructions :

Put Dashi in a pot and heat at medium heat until just before boiling. Season Dashi broth with Soy Sauce, Sake, and salt.

Chop the Mitsuba and dissolve Katakuriko in 1Tbsp of water, add to the soup, and stir very well.

Beat an egg in a small bowl. Slowly pour the egg into the soup in circling motion starting from the center, spiraling outward.

Pour the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with Mitsuba.