Simple Japanese Breakfast Soup

I remember making this soup for the first time in the winter of 2015. It was my first year teaching, I had to wake up before the sun rose, and I had been sick for what felt like months from stress. At that time, I lived in a terribly insulated house with roommates, and we rarely turned on the heat in the hopes of keeping our electricity bill low. I slept in my amazing REI sleeping bag in my bed and wrapped every blanket I owned to keep warm like a burrito.

I remember waking up for work one morning, not wanting to get out of my toasty sleeping bag, and thinking, “I just want soup for breakfast. I’m an adult; I can do what I want.” So I took the pho I had eaten the night before, dumped it into a pot on the stove, and dropped an egg in once it was heated. That first bite was one of those bites that makes you close your eyes and say, “Mmmm,” audibly (if you haven’t had this experience before, you’ve got to get some food like this in your life). The saltiness of the soup and vegetables combined with the creamy yolk of the egg soothed my tired soul, energized me for the day, and became the inspiration for this recipe.

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The next morning, I didn’t have any leftover pho, so I had to get creative. I used the ingredients I knew would work together, dumped them in a pot, and dropped the egg in at the end. The the veggies give a punch of nutrition, the curry warms the stomach, and green onion gives the soup a bright finish while the egg yolk swirls throughout once broken and brings everything together. I had my new favorite winter recipe.

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Each time I make this simple soup, it brings back a lot of memories for me and also reminds me how far I’ve come. Before, I was making this soup at a harrowing time in my life that I often don’t fondly look back on. I did, however, enjoy my soup despite the cold and sick conditions.

Foods like these are what hold the most memory for me. Just like Anton Ego, the food critic in Ratatouille, when I taste something deliciously familiar, it zips me back to a specific moment in time. I love being taken back to the food-filled moments in my life and reflecting on some of the great experiences I’ve had.

Enjoy this soup in your chilly, air conditioned home in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of summer or switch it up and add some deliciously seasonal fall veggies when the time rolls around. The possibilities for this soup are endless! And I guarantee, once you’ve had soup for breakfast, you’ll be turning back to it time and time again.

Simple Japanese Breakfast Soup

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Servings: 1
Time: 10 minutes

1/4 cup Carrot (sliced)
1 Mushroom (sliced)
1 tablespoon Green Onion
1/4 cup Tofu (diced)
1/2 teaspoon Miso Paste
1/8 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/8 teaspoon Ginger Powder (or 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ginger)
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 1/4 cup Low Sodium Broth (I used Vegetable Broth)
1 Egg
1/8 teaspoon Sesame Seeds (optional)

*This recipe is also amazing with broccoli, spinach, seaweed, or really any kind of vegetable. I just used what I had on hand—that’s what makes this recipe great!

1. Prep all of your veggies and seasoning beforehand. Chop the carrot, mushroom, green onion, and tofu. Measure out the miso paste, curry powder, ginger, and garlic powder into a small bowl.
2. Place a medium-sized pot filled with your broth onto a stove at medium-high heat. Once your broth is boiling, pour about 1/4 cup of the hot broth into the bowl of spices. Mix vigorously with a fork until the miso powder has been incorporated, then pour back into the pot.
3. Carefully slide the veggies and tofu into the boiling broth. Turn down the heat until the broth is simmering.
4. Poke the carrots with a fork every 2 minutes until they are soft and can be easily pierced.
5. Crack the egg and plop it right in the middle of the pot of veggies and broth. If the egg is not fully covered by broth, use your fork to shift around the veggies or use a spoon to ladle spoonfuls of broth over the egg to help cook the top.
6. Leave the egg to simmer for 2-3 minutes for a very runny yolk or 5-6 minutes for a firmer yolk.
7. Once the egg is done, very carefully tip the contents of the pot into a large bowl, using a fork or a spoon to ensure the veggies don’t all come crashing down at once.
8. Sprinkle sesame seeds or any other desired garnishes over the top and enjoy the warmth this soup will bring you in the morning!

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