Easy wakame soup perfect for a cold day. The soft wakame and rich sesame oil combined together make such a satisfying soup.
Wakame soup, AKA seaweed soup, is a very popular soup in Japan and is so delicious and easy to put together. This soup is full of the sweet umami flavor of seaweed and the rich nutty taste of sesame oil. It’s rich yet light, and goes best as a side to any kind of dish (especially a rice dish!), giving you a complete meal. If you use dried wakame like me, it’s super quick and easy to put together in a pinch. Only five minutes and you’ve got yourself a hot, comforting bowl of wakame soup.
INGREDIENTS (+ SUBSTITUTIONS)
This is a basic list and explanation of the key ingredients. For full list and measurements, please scroll down to the recipe below!
- ☆ Dried wakame
- Dried wakame is easier to find in most Asian grocery stores, but you may use fresh wakame if you like. Fresh wakame requires a little bit more preparation. You first need to separate the leaves and stem, and blanche the leaves that will be used for wakame soup. Rinse in cold water and strain. Then cut into bite size pieces, and it’s ready.
- ☆ Hondashi powder
- Hondashi powder is a bonito and dashi kelp stock powder that adds a savory flavor to dishes. If you are vegetarian, you can use kombu dashi powder instead. If you do not have either, you can use chicken or vegetable bouillon instead! Any stock powder you add will add to the savoriness of the soup, so whatever you like or whatever you have on hand will work!
- ☆ Sesame oil
- This is optional but highly recommended as it adds a rich, nutty taste to the wakame soup. I recommend you use the dark toasted sesame oil, but if you have untoasted, that works as well, just keep in mind the wakame soup will not be as rich. If you do not have toasted sesame oil, any finishing oil with a low smoke point should be able to provide the same richness to the wakame soup.
TIPS FOR MAKING WAKAME SOUP
- ☆ If you use dried wakame like I did, make sure you squeeze out the excess water completely after rehydrating. Also, when boiling the wakame, let it simmer for a while until it comes to a boil to steep the wakame for strong seaweed flavor.
MORE SAVORY JAPANESE RECIPES! ♡
If you recreate this Wakame Soup recipe, please let me know by tagging me or leaving a comment on Instagram @maruryouri or TikTok @atsuryouri. I’d love to see your creations and hear your feedback!
Wakame Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dried wakame seaweed
- 800 ml water
- 3 teaspoons hondashi powder
- Sesame oil optional
- White sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Rehydrate dried wakame seaweed in a small bowl with some water. This will take a few minutes. Once the wakame seaweed becomes a brighter green and floats, drain and squeeze out the excess water.
- In a small pot, heat 800ml of water over medium heat with the hondashi powder, mixing to dissolve.
- Once the water starts to simmer, add the wakame seaweed. Let the seaweed soup come to a boil.
- This is optional, but for more flavor, add a splash of sesame oil to your bowl before you ladle the soup in. Top with roasted white sesame seeds, and the wakame soup is done! 完成です！