How Suimono Clear Soup differs from Miso Soup

Miso soup and plain white rice make up the essential parts of Japanese cuisine.

As many instant soups are available online nowadays, you might have tried such authentic Japanese soups as miso soup and suimono.

Suimono vs. Miso Soup

By the way, have you ever heard of the Japanese soup “Suimono (吸い物)” also called “Osuimono (お吸い物)” before?

For those who answer no to this question, today, I will introduce the traditional soup dish and explain how it differs from miso soup.

Seasoning

As you know, miso soup usually takes on a brown color from its main seasoning, miso fermented soybean paste, while suimono is a kind of clear soup.

Although the broth of suimono is typically made from dashi stock seasoned with soy sauce and salt, miso is also rarely used.

Ingredients

Both miso soup and suimono clear soup can use various ingredients, including seafood and meat, vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, and eggs.

Soup Bowl 

Many Japanese people prepare a wooden bowl for miso soup, while the clear soup suimono is often served in a lacquered bowl.

But of course, you can eat miso soup with a lacquered bowl, and vice versa.

Classification 

Miso soup is a variety of “shirumono (汁物)”.

Shirumono is the generic term for the Japanese soup dishes served with rice, flavored with seasonings such as miso, soy sauce, and salt.

On the other hand, suimono is a “sakana (肴)“. In other words, the soup dish is considered an accompaniment for alcoholic drinks such as sake.

(Reference Pages: Wikipedia 汁物, 吸い物 )