Clear Soup (Hibachi Soup)

Do you love the clear, flavorful soup served before your meal at Japanese restaurants? This recipe will show you how to make your own version at home. We call it Hibachi Soup, but it’s also known as Japanese Clear Soup.

This soup is surprisingly easy to make at home, but it tastes like something you’d get with your hibachi dinner when eating out. The broth is savory, hot, and filling, yet light enough to enjoy anytime. The mushrooms and green onions add an extra layer of flavor and feel. It’s perfect as a light lunch with a side salad, or a delicious starter before a bigger meal.

It may not be authentic, but it satisfies my crew without needing a ton of special ingredients. They even argue over who gets to take home the leftovers.

Ingredients

• Chicken broth
• Beef broth – this is just for color, you can easily skip this and use a splash of soy sauce to give it additional color.
• Carrots – we usually use shredded carrots. You can use large carrots or even baby carrots.
• Celery
• Onion
• Mushrooms – We use plain white button mushrooms because that’s what Japanese steak houses use.
• Green onions – use both the white and green parts.

Substitutions and Additions

• Chicken Broth: You can swap chicken broth with meat broths or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version or if you just prefer a veggie-based broth.
• Condensed Beef Broth: Feel free to replace condensed beef broth with another type of condensed broth, such as chicken or vegetable, depending on what you have handy in your pantry.
• Carrots, Celery, and Onion are flavor agents in your soup, but you can pretty much play around with what you like.
• Chicken Base: This can be exchanged with a vegetable or beef base, depending on your preference or dietary requirements. You can also use 1 large bouillon cube.
• Water: If you want a richer flavor, consider swapping a cup or two of water with more broth.
• Mushrooms: Not a fan of mushrooms? No problem. You can leave these out or replace them with another vegetable you like.
• Green Onions (Scallions): Chives can make a great alternative if you’re out of green onions. 

How to make Hibachi Soup

1 – Pour all the ingredients, except mushrooms and green onions, into a large saucepan and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. 

2 – Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and let it cook for at least one hour. 

3 – After it’s done, strain your soup in a fine-mesh sieve to separate the broth from the vegetables. Then the broth goes back into the pot with an extra 4 cups of water. Bring the broth back to a boil. 

4 – Once boiling, turn down the heat to keep it warm before serving. 

5 – Slice your mushrooms and green onions, and set them at the base of the soup bowl.

6 – Taste the broth to make sure it isn’t too salty. If it is, just add some water. Bring it back to a boil once more, you want the soup to be piping hot.

7 – Pour the hot broth into the bowls, and it’s now ready to serve while steaming hot.

Recipe Tips

We usually whip this up to go with hibachi dinner we’ve cooked on the Blackstone. Any little bits of meat cut off the chosen protein goes into the pot initially. This wonderful soup can be simmered as long as you need. Just remember to keep watching the level of liquid. Add more water as necessary, it will get salty.

Always taste the soup before serving; you may need to add more water if it is salty.

You don’t have to use everything we do when making the broth, but we promise, it makes it so much better.

We add condensed beef broth for color rather than adding soy sauce. If you choose to use all chicken broth, you may need to add some soy sauce to make the broth darker. Use dark soy sauce if you have it, it has less sodium.

Add some cooked rice or noodles to your soup if you want to turn this first course into a more filling meal. It’s easy to add some substance and make it a bit heartier. For added protein, you can even top it with some grilled chicken, thinly sliced beef, or tofu. 

Storage & Reheating

You can store leftover cooked soup in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This soup freezes well. Just make sure to cool it completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers. It can be stored for up to three months in the freezer.

Reheat the broth in the microwave or on the stovetop and serve over the top of freshly sliced mushrooms and green onions.

Can I Use Other Vegetables in My Hibachi Soup?

Absolutely! Feel free to add fresh vegetables like spinach, Bok choy, cabbage, or pea pods for extra crunch and color.

I’m Not a Fan of Mushrooms. Can I Leave Them Out?

You bet! If you’re not into mushrooms, simply remove them from the recipe. The soup flavors will still be there from the other ingredients.

Can I Use Store-Bought Broth for This Great Recipe?

Of course! While homemade broth can add a rich depth of flavor, store-bought broth works fine and can save you some time. We have a secret, we start with store bought broth and stock for a lot of our recipes. We love the convenience and it we can get meals cooked in a shorter amount of time.

Can I Make This Japanese Soup Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can! This soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld together. Just remember to keep it refrigerated and reheat it before serving.

More Asian Inspired Dishes You Are Going to Love

• Chicken Chow Mein with Crunchy Noodles
• Wonton Soup
• Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice
• Chicago Style Eggrolls

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